Seven teams and 84 players in 2026. We’re building the 2027 rosters now, with training starting in November and running through July.
Training starts in November and runs through July. Two practices a week in the offseason, in our own building, with the same coaches all year. That continuity is the whole point — you cannot develop a player in eight weeks of spring.
Every player works the same infield actions no matter where he ends up playing. Footwork, hands, and arm strength transfer everywhere on the field.
We are not deciding in November that your son is a second baseman and leaving him there. Everyone trains everywhere, and the list of places he can play keeps growing all year.
Roster spot one through twelve. If your son is not improving, we would rather hear about it in January than in July.
Eight age groups for 2027, 8U through 15U. Status changes as deposits come in — if a group is full, ask about the alternate list.
The season is periodized on purpose. What we work on in December is not what we work on in May.
Our coaches are paid, under signed agreements, and held to a standard. They run practices with a plan and they are accountable for whether your son gets better.
In games you will hear confidence and timing from our dugout — be aggressive, get your pitch, you’re my guy. You will not hear mechanical instruction between pitches. That work happens in practice, where it belongs.
We will walk you through the full number before you commit to anything — what it covers, what it does not, and the payment plan. No surprises in March.
Four steps. The whole thing usually takes a couple of weeks.
Tell us about your player — age, current team, what he wants to work on.
He comes in and works out with us. We watch him hit, throw, field and move.
We talk with you about which group fits, and we are honest if it is not us.
A deposit holds the spot. Nothing is held without one.
Two, in the offseason, at our facility in Vernon Hills. In season it is generally two as well, adjusted around the game schedule. We do not practice on Fridays.
No. Once your son is on a roster, he is on that roster for the year. Positions and playing time are earned in practice, but his spot is not in question.
In practice. We do not expect a player to handle a position in a game that he cannot handle in practice — you do not learn a position by playing it on Saturday. It flexes as the season goes and we learn more about players in games.
Most of the schedule is local — league play and tournaments around Lake County and the north suburbs. The older teams take one trip out of state per season.
Yes, and we would rather he did. Multi-sport athletes tend to move better and burn out less. Tell us what else he plays and we will work around it.
Then we will tell you that, and point you at camps, classes or lessons instead. Putting a player somewhere he is not ready for does not help him.
At age groups with two rosters, they are different development environments — not a ranking. Placement is based on fit and it is not permanent.
Players play, coaches coach, parents cheer. We ask for 24 hours after a game before any conversation about it, and we go over all of this at the preseason meeting.
The best way to figure out whether we are a fit is to stand in the building during a practice. Call, email, or send a note and we will set it up.
Gorilla Baseball Academy
958 Corporate Woods Pkwy, Vernon Hills, IL 60061
Mon–Thu 4:00–10:00pm · Fri 4:00–7:00pm · Sat & Sun 10:00am–5:00pm
