Baycats Continue to Invest in Player Performance

BARRIE - Josh Matlow -- the general and field manager of the Barrie Baycats Baseball Club -- announced today that we have come to an agreement with Athletic Kulture to become our official gym and The Kage Barrie to become our official baseball facility.

Athletic Kulture is a new gym operated by owner Ryan Hawkes. Located on 154 Reid Dr in Barrie, the gym -- which is open 24/7 -- is 22,000 SQ. FT. in size, and whether it be strength, cardio, or functional equipment, purified water, personal trainers, nutritionists, towel services, youth care, or different classes, they have it all.

The agreement will make Athletic Kulture the exclusive gym of the Baycats, which will make our players stay in shape and up the bar on their physical development.

Matlow said this partnership with Athletic Kulture is a big step for the franchise.

"I personally believe that Athletic Kulture is a perfect partner for the overall physical development of all our current and young players. What Athletic Kulture stands for is a perfect correlation with our beliefs, especially in player development and growth. The very talented team at Athletic Kulture is a huge asset to our organization and our players. Their highly experienced trainers and staff specialize in sport-specific training, as well their state of the art modern equipment is a perfect combination of something we never had access to as an organization, specifically in the offseason."

Hawkes said this is an important day for Athletic Kulture and that they cannot wait to start working with the Baycats.

"On behalf of Athletic Kulture, we want to extend our warmest thank you to the Baycats and their manager Josh Matlow. Josh worked hand and hand with us to officially make Athletic Kulture the training facility of the Baycats. We are very excited to host the Baycats and to do all we can to improve their performance and wellness.

"Athletic Kulture's foundation is built on hard work and limitless effort. We believe your goals and dreams are always worth chasing and working hard for. We are a full-service facility. We offer physiotherapy, massage therapy, personal training, dieticians, full meal service and the highest quality of equipment in the industry."

You can follow Athletic Kulture on Instagram @AthleticKulture.

The Baycats have also come to an agreement with The Kage Barrie to become our official sports performance facility.

The Kage -- directed by Chuck Schembri, who has been hired as a bullpen catcher -- will allow our players to face a machine throwing hardballs while taking part in extensive, sports-specific workouts,  including cages and bullpens.

Located at 112 Saunders Rd Unit 7 & 8 in Barrie, The Kage will become the official home for all future workouts hosted by the Baycats.

Matlow said The Kage will be an important part of the Baycats moving forward.

"Adding a baseball workout facility like The Kage to our arsenal is something we can really utilize in the offseason to have our players 'baseball ready' come the season. While other teams may just be getting going close to the season or players are on their own to be ready, we are working hard throughout the offseason with available access to bullpens and hitting cages as we desire necessary thanks to The Kage. This is a perfect partnership to help with players get in the baseball work that may have not have had access to prior."

Schembri says he is thrilled to partner with the Baycats.

"As a former baseball player that recently moved to Barrie from New Brunswick, I was excited to get in touch with the Baycats and learn more about the organization. I reached out to Josh and he quickly responded to my email. Shortly after he came to visit our facility and discussed how we could work together. Having just opened our own indoor batting cage facility in the area, it was a partnership that seemed to be the perfect opportunity for our business as well as the Baycats team. We are very excited to be working with the Baycats and look forward to seeing what this partnership brings."

You can follow The Kage on Instagram @thekagebarrie.

Matlow -- who negotiated both of these partnerships -- said this is an important day for the Baycats as he continues to put an emphasis on sports science, which started with the partnership between Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Centre in 2001 and continued in July with the hiring of Team Doctor Dr. Katherine Nanos in July.

"I am thrilled to have connected with these two businesses and feel it’s not only important to work with businesses aligned with our beliefs, but to support local businesses that are at the top of their game in their respective industries. We look forward to growing with these two excellent partners and are greatly appreciative of their eagerness to work with and support the Baycats organization."

Baycats president David Mills said that today's announcement will be "significant value" to the Baycats.

"These partnerships are examples of how this community continues to support the Baycats.  The Baycats organization appreciates the significant value that will be provided by these local businesses."

For more information, follow the Baycats on Facebook and Twitter at @iblbaycats and on Instagram at @barriebaycats. 

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