Pride Performance Training

07/28/2025

Today I coached my 100th game.

Some may balk at that, pun intended, as it’s arguably a modest amount of games among those who call coaching a career. But for myself and for the brand - It’s a major milestone. And in some ways, it honestly feels surreal.

Over the course of several seasons I’ve stood at the front stoop of a dugout and toed the chalk of a coach’s box to watch players I’ve trained hit home runs, throw no hitters, and hoist championship banners.

We’ve won in walk-off fashion, competed against teams from as far away as Canada, and played prestigious venues across the state of Pennsylvania like the Pony World Series Complex in Washington.

Through my coaching I’ve built teams I now consider family, molded the next generation of young men into competant and confident competitors, both in the game of life and in baseball, and I’ve made more than my fair share of memories that will last me my lifetime.

I say all of this to say one thing:

THANK YOU!

If you follow this page and are reading this post it’s because you’ve supported my training and / or teams in some way, shape or form over the years. In saying that, it’s because of YOU that I get to chase this crazy coaching dream, and I’m ever grateful to have had the opportunity and privilege to train every player, and coach every team, that I’ve formed through the program thus far.

So, from the bottom of my baseball-lovin’ heart, I thank you - And lord willing, here’s to 100 more!

07/19/2025

I owe a big THANK YOU to East Butler Baseball for hosting us, as well as to every parent and player who came out to make our all-encompassing baseball camp possible this week. With players of all ages from Knoch, CT, Butler Township, East Butler, Slippery Rock and Prospect being in attendance, I had the unique opportunity to teach the beloved game of baseball to players from every program in the greater Butler Area all at once, which was a truly special experience. Over the course of the week we worked on hitting mechanics, pitching mechanics, fundamentals of fielding grounders and flies, base running, situational baseball, and finally got to see all their new skills come together in the form of an evenly matched scrimmage, which remained tied, inning after inning, until ultimately ending in walk-off fashion on the very last at bat of the camp.

Pure baseball poetry!

Thanks again to all who came out. I hope you learned something, that you take your new skills with you to an upcoming season, and that we cross paths on a ballfield here again soon!

07/07/2025

🚨🦁⚾️ UPCOMING CAMP ALERT!⚾️ 🦁🚨

Looking for an opportunity to learn about the game you love from an experienced staff, have fun with friends at the ballfield, while simultaneously supporting a local league? If so, then Pride’s all-encompassing skill camp is for YOU!

What you will learn:

Pitching
Hitting
Bunting
Fundamentals of flies and grounders
Cutoffs and relays
Base running
Situational baseball
And much, much more!

This camp is currently scheduled for July 14-17th from 9:00 - 11:30 AM at the East Butler Ballfields, located at:

198 Tenth Street
East Butler, PA 16029

To register, please email Jace Lyon at
[email protected].

Hope to see you there!

06/18/2025

🚨🦁 3 Reasons to play for The Pride 🦁🚨

-14 years of professional personal training experience.

-We’re still THE ONLY program in the industry who offers our patented personal training to every player in the organization.

-Play for and practice with a knowledgeable staff who has head coaching experience at both high school and tournament levels.

Tryouts for the 2026 season are open by appointment on select dates in June.

To register, please email Jace Lyon at:
[email protected]

08/21/2024

🦁3 Reasons To Play For Pride🦁

-13 years of professional training and coaching experience.

-Train, practice, and play for a high school coach.

-Every player receives an industry leading 8 weeks of personal training, and all training is included in the price of the team!

If you’re interested in our 10U, 12U, or 16U teams for the spring of 2025, please email Jace Lyon to schedule your individual tryout at: [email protected]

06/29/2024

06/11/2024

This weekend I bore witness to the best baseball I’ve seen in quite some time. Two unforgettable 7-run rallies, 8 homers, and poised performances from 7 different pitchers propelled the 12U Pride to a 3-1 record and a silver bracket CHAMPIONSHIP WIN on Sunday. I knew this team had talent, but this weekend they showed heart, grit, and a level of love for the game that seems to be all but lost in today’s age of tournament baseball. Congrats again boys on your and championship, and I’m proud to call you my team!

Also, thanks to Nicole Johnson for the incredible photography and capturing our first championship run on film!

05/28/2024

Our 12U team had an ABSOLUTE BLAST ☄️ at this weekend’s tournament. Congrats to our own Liam Johnson and Conner Bentz for barreling a pair of and home runs, and to our defense as a whole who turned 6 DOUBLE PLAYS in just TWO GAMES 🤯.

Thanks to the parents for providing the clips, and to those who have served so we can play the game we love!

06/26/2023

🦁 Four Reasons To Play For Pride 🦁

#1- Over 12 years of professional training and coaching experience.

#2- We're the only program who offers 8 personal training sessions & 8 small group sessions to maximize the development of every player in our organization, and it's already accounted for within the price of the team!

#3- Considering I am the head coach and trainer of every team at Pride, you can finally be certain of who you will be practicing with and playing for.

#4- Our individual tryouts make sure every player has an equal opportunity to be evaluated during the selection process of our teams.

Tryouts are open for ages 9-12 (as of spring 2024) from July 1st - 31st.

Limited roster space available. To schedule your individual tryout today, please email Jace Lyon at:

[email protected]

06/16/2023

Over the last 12 years I’ve operated solely as a personal trainer. In that time I’ve been asked an innumerable amount of questions regarding my opinion on which travel ball organization was the best to play for. In the past I never had a clear answer to that question. Today I do, and that answer is simple:

🦁 COME PLAY FOR THE PRIDE! 🦁

As a baseball coach, yet an outsider in the travel ball space, I’ve had a long time to contemplate how I believe the ideal program would operate, should I ever run one. Although there was a long time where I thought it’d never be possible, with the completion of our new facility I’m excited to announce that I’ll finally be bringing those ideas to life on a ball field next spring with an organization of my own. Although it’s still very much in it’s infancy, here’s a basic breakdown of how our program will be structured to help players develop the form, mechanics, skills and fundamentals that I built the brand on, while simultaneously giving them the opportunity to compete alongside equally talented, professionally trained ball players.

Pride’s Tournament Team Program:

With a primary focus on player development, each member of the Pride will start their off-season with 8 sessions of one-on-one instruction where we will cover the same mechanics-based curriculum that we’ve used to develop our top performing players for well over a decade. Unlike other team organizations who offer training at a surcharge, our personal training sessions are already included within the price of the team, ensuring your investment leads to the most improvement possible.

After each player makes it through their respective block of personal training, they will then attend an additional 8 weeks of skill building in the form of small groups where they can begin to integrate into practicing as a team, while maintaining an education-friendly environment where attention and instruction can still be implemented on an individual level.

Finally, upon completion of their group training block, Pride’s players will begin a schedule of full team practices balanced by competitive play in the form of local tournaments.

If you’re interested in actually improving, and not just playing, The Pride is the tournament team for you! I want to make sure I meet each parent and player interested in our organization in person. That said, I will be holding individual tryouts throughout the month of July at our Butler based facility by appointment. To schedule your individual tryout, please email Jace Lyon at:

[email protected]

05/11/2023

The only thing better than hearing of our players on-field success is actually being present when they’re publicly recognized for it. Last night one of our talented pitchers, Jacob Wagner, was voted by his peers to receive the “Outstanding Pitcher” award for his performances on the mound over the course of his career at Knoch. Being a coach for the Knoch Knights organization, I was fortunately at the banquet and able to shake his hand afterward to congratulate him in person. As his personal trainer I’ve had the privilege of sharing the net with him for almost 4 years as he learned to master his own interpretation of the art of pitching, and to see all that work come to fruition for him in the form of this award is what makes what I do, worth doing. Awards like these aren’t earned with average effort, and although he and I are the only ones who really know how much he’s put in to his pitching over the years, I can assure you he is no exception to that rule.

Congrats again, Jacob. It’s been awesome to watch you improve into the outstanding pitcher you’ve become, and I can’t think of anyone who’s more deserving of this award!

05/09/2023

There are few things I look forward to more than the opening weekend of baseball. This is when our players’ skills are razor sharp following a full off-season of training, and they finally get the opportunity to showcase their new level of skill in the form of on-field success. Aaron Lithgow was one of the many success stories that came through the “Highlight Hotline” this weekend, and as you can see, he wasted no time showing off his repeatable, yet powerful swing at his local home run derby, coming home the CHAMPION!
🏆 💣 🚀 🏆

Although Aaron’s success comes as no surprise to me, it’s nothing short of incredible considering he’s only been enrolled in our formal lessons for just over a year now. He’s made leaps and bounds in his game since last February, and his success serves a classic example of what can be achieved when exceptional effort, attention to detail, and a coachable attitude are combined, even on a condensed timeline!

Congrats again Aaron (or should I say CHAMP?) on your hard earned and well deserved derby win!