Facility is solution to group's problem: ; Center a place for local teams and individuals to hone skills when weather is not cooperative

Like a lot of other local baseball coaches, Paxton Lively grewtired of losing valuable practice time and game play to MotherNature.

Be it rainy spring and summer weather, or just the downright coldduring the fall and winter, Lively became frustrated with WestVirginia's relatively short season of good baseball weather.

"I was really getting tired of soft tossing in my garage inDecember," said Lively, who coaches both a travel baseball team anda team in the Dunbar Little League program.

That's what prompted Lively, along with friends Bryan Stover, PatGardner, Brian Spurlock and Kevin White to search for a solution tothe problem.

After a few months of brainstorming, the quintet came up with asolution to their problem in the form of a state of the art indoorpractice facility in Dunbar.

After finding an empty building suitable for such a facility, thefive rolled up their sleeves and got busy developing what is now theBalzout Sports Center, located at 501 28th Street, just across thestreet from the Ben Franklin Career Center.

"It started with Paxton, but we had we had this idea individuallyover the past several years," said Stover.

"We just got together as a group because we had the sameaspirations to start a business like this.

"We spent a few months formulating a business plan and laying itall out, and then it took us a little while to find a building thatwas vacant. After we found the building, it took us a month or so tocome in and clean it, paint it, and put the cages in.

"We put a lot of work in on our own getting the facility ready.We put new lights in and things like that. It took us a little overa month to get it ready."

Now in its third month of operation, Balzout offers a pair ofbatting cages, three pitchers mounds and a slew of other baseballand softball skill honing equipment for kids age 4 and up.

The facility also features a 5,200-square foot area of field turffor use in fielding exercises and practice.

The five co-owners spent 41/2 taxing days laying the turf, whichcame in 21, one-ton rolls.

"We basically spent our kids' spring break working here," Livelysaid.

"We worked 16 hour days, from 8 a.m. to midnight getting the turfdown," added Stover.

"The rolls were unloaded with a forklift and then moved androlled out by hand. It was tough work."

That work is now paying off for local teams and individualplayers looking to get extra work in when Mother Nature isn'tcooperative.

"We definitely felt there was a market for it in the Charlestonarea, so that's why we wanted to get it up and running," Stoversaid. "All of us have a deep involvement in contributing to theyouth in the area and helping them get better. That's what it's allabout.

"All of us with our coaching have contributed something todeveloping the youth in baseball and there was nothing in theCharleston area that allowed you to do that year round.

"It was frustrating when kids want to practice and get better atthe sport and there was no place to go."

Since opening in the first week of April, the facility has hostedarea All-Star baseball teams, local travel baseball teams, softballteams, little league teams and even travel soccer squads.

There's also a small basketball area to keep kids busy whilewaiting on a lesson or waiting to use the facility.

Balzout also offers individual lessons to both baseball andsoftball players in half-hour sessions, featuring pitching lessonsfrom former Major Leaguer Paul Fletcher.

Fletcher, who graduated from Ravenswood High and playedcollegiately at West Virginia State, pitched parts of three seasonsas a reliever with the Philadelphia Phillies (1993 and 1995), andOakland A's (1996).

Stover played high school baseball with Fletcher and got Fletcheron board when he moved to Ravenswood from Philadelphia last year.

"We're fortunate that we've got a Major League baseball pitcherproviding pitching lessons," Stover said. "He loves working with thekids and it's good to have someone of that caliber come here andwork with us."

Fletcher finished with a 1-0 career record.

Softball instruction is provided by sisters Margaret and JessicaOsborne, who starred at St. Albans High and later at West VirginiaState.

The facility also offers an air-conditioned reception and loungearea for parents of children receiving lessons or practicing, thatincludes a large window providing easy viewing of the practice area.

Balzout is open seven days a week, with operating hours of 4 to10 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdayand Sunday.

Earlier and/or later operating hours are available duringweekdays by request.

For information regarding rates, call Balzout at 304-400-4622, orvisit www.balzoutsportscenter.com on the Internet.

Balzout can also be reached via email atbalzoutsportscenter@gmail.com.

BOB WOJCIESZAK/DAILY MAIL PHOTOS Patrick Lovejoy, 8, works outwith a batting trainer at the Balzout Sports Center, a state-of-the-art indoor baseball and softball practice facility in Dunbar.

Frustated with the areas relatively short season of good weatherfor baseball and softball, Paxton Lively, left, Bryan Spurlock,Margaret Osborne, Patrick Gardner and Bryan Stover brainstormed andcame up with a solution to their problem by opening a state of theart indoor practice facility in Dunbar.

Peyton Stover, 8, sharpens his baseball fundamentals at theBalzout Sports Center indoor practice facility in Dunbar.

Madison Pauley, 12, a travel league softball player in the 12-under Champion Fast Pitch Division, works on her form.

Contact Michael Dailey at mike.dailey@dailymail.com.