Top Tier Baseball is excited to announce Top Tier West will continue operating out of Level Up Athletics, located in St. Charles, Ill. Located between I-90 and I-88, Level Up offers a convenient location for training and practices for the towns of Kane County.
“We’re excited to bring Top Tier West to the passionate, talent-rich players and families of the western suburbs and tri-city area,” said Todd Fine, CEO and President of Top Tier Baseball. “St. Charles and the surrounding areas have long been a place where baseball is at the forefront, and with our expectation of greatness and the standards that Top Tier Baseball upholds, our values will surely align.”
Level Up is an 8,000-square-foot facility with six tunnels, two HitTrax units and pitching machines. Training will take place at Level Up headlined by experienced personnel, including Aiden Hales and Dom DeNicola.
DeNicola, born and raised in Connecticut, played collegiately at Springfield College under current Top Tier Baseball Vice President Matt Plante.
“Top Tier is one of the best organizations in the country, and I’ve always dreamed of being a partner and helping run a satellite,” said DeNicola, former pro scout for the Arizona Diamondbacks and New York Mets. “This area is loaded with talent, and it gives kids a great opportunity for the developmental side – to show them a higher level of baseball and great training.”
DeNicola has been part of the Top Tier organization for the better part of seven years. Most notably, DeNicola was the 15u Americans head coach for a few seasons and found success with players such as Ryan Sloan, Tommy Townsend and Lucas Smith, among many others.
The tri-city area is known to be a baseball community, with expectations to compete at the highest levels year in and year out. Coaches and instructors will help continue to build upon the strong foundation already in place throughout the area.
Level Up and Top Tier West’s mission isn’t to appeal to just one type of player. With athletes ranging from different ages and experience levels, the training staff will focus on meeting all the athlete’s needs.
"That's my main goal out here, to distribute as much information as possible," said DeNicola. "Also to make sure people understand that this is an environment to engage in so you can grow and develop as much as you can because the game is moving faster than ever."
Top Tier West tryouts will begin this week. Time, location and more information can be found by clicking HERE.
About Top Tier Baseball
Top Tier Baseball began in 2004 with one 18U team. That team became a national brand, quickly, traveling the country and showcasing its talent in prestigious tournaments. That team went on to win 40+ games and featured big leaguers, John Ely, Rob Scahill and Tanner Roark.
In total, 83 Top Tier Baseball players have been drafted, with eight coming in 2024. Headlining that group is Ryan Sloan, a second-round pick by the Seattle Mariners.
Top Tier has evolved since its inception to one of the elite amateur baseball organizations in the country. The strength of our program lies in our commitment in developing players and building confidence through hard work and dedication. This very commitment has manifested itself on the diamond in some of the largest and most prestigious tournaments in amateur baseball.
In 2022 and 2023, the Top Tier/5-Star Roos Mafia went on to win Perfect Game's WWBA World Championships. This past summer, Top Tier's 17U Select team took third in a highly-competitive USA Baseball National Team Championship tournament.
Top Tier has two active players in the MLB - Paul DeJong and Ryan Borucki.
