Five Star Wisconsin, located on the corner of Murdock Avenue and Grove Street on the northeast side of Oshkosh, opened in December in a building that formerly housed a bowling alley. The academy trains youth ages 10 to 18 in softball and baseball.
The new baseball and softball training facility in Oshkosh is “where you want to play if you want to be playing your best,” according to one of the owners.
Co-owner Evan Wick said their opening in Oshkosh has “brought them a bunch of opportunities” and “it’s been a blessing.”
Evan Wick, Andy Zwirchitz and Bryce Wick bought into the franchise Five Star National and wanted a location where they could reach multiple different areas and teach a multitude of different athletes.
Five Star National provides athletic training throughout the United States. This includes Indiana, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and even Puerto Rico.
Five Star Wisconsin offers several types of training. They offer armbands and pitcher workouts in the side room, batting practice on the practice field and strength and conditioning. Evan Wick said they are a top tier destination for baseball and softball training.
Evan Wick said he likes to serve each athlete individually and holds team limits to two per age group. That helps Five Star Wisconsin ensure they tend to each player’s needs and work on their game with them individually.
He also said a player doesn’t need to be rostered to get the expertise they provide. Sometimes these non-rostered players even get the opportunity to step up and play for Five Star in tournaments or exhibition games, he added.
“We like to know what we can do to make them better personally,” Evan Wick said.
Evan Wick said another aspect of Five Star’s rigorous training is their technology.
Five Star uses a Trackman, which are used in all 30 MLB stadiums and give you all kinds of statistics in one system.
Trackmans can be used for both pitching and hitting. They show the spin rate on pitches, release height, release speed and spin efficiency while also tracking exit velocity, launch angle and vertical movement for hitting. Five Star Wisconsin and their new facility, which includes technology like Trackmans, gives Five Star an edge compared to others, he said.
“Five Star training programs are led by former athletes, fitness trainers and former MLB players,” Executive Operations Manager Kerri Chavis said.
“We have several former MLB players and trainers, and the dynamics at each Five Star facility is custom to its community,” Chavis said.
“We offer pitching, hitting and fielding lessons customized to players’ ages, skill levels and needs,” Chavis said. “Our instructors and coaches are available and invested in creating a winning atmosphere.”
While Five Star has been bringing back a lot of their current customers to their new location, they are having a hard time marketing and promoting this new location to people around Oshkosh.
“We haven’t done a great job promoting or marketing, but we’re working on it,” Evan Wick said. “We’re still looking for social media employees and other smaller jobs around the facility.”
Evan Wick spent time as a hitting and catching coach at Lawrence University before coming to Five Star, and Zwirchitz has been coaching and training players for more than 14 years.
Five Star National has produced 4,500-plus NCAA scholarships and 120-plus players drafted to the MLB.
