Kingsmen Baseball Academy
at Shipyard Park
Kingsmen Baseball Academy is designed for elite baseball players who have the desire and the ability to play at the collegiate and professional levels. The Academy prepares players to succeed at the next level, on the baseball field, in college, and in life.
— 4 Core Principles —
Elite Baseball Development
Our goal will be to prepare players who have the desire and ability to play at the collegiate and/or professional level. The academy calendar would be similar to the public-school calendar. Players will practice from August 15-May 15 under the elite instruction of highly successful college and professional coaches and players. Players will practice 3-4 hours per day for 4-5 days per week. Players will play against other elite baseball academies, D2, D3 and NAIA teams, junior college teams, and college JV teams. Players will have access to the latest technology and will use the latest metrics to improve their performance. We will provide our players with the best strength and physical fitness instruction so they can become the best baseball players they can be.
Spiritual /Character Development
The Kingsmen Baseball Academy is faith-based. The academy does not require players to be Christians and will never try to force any beliefs on players. At the same time, the players do need to understand what the academy is about and what it stands for. The players will have mandatory Bible studies/chapels each week and will go to church together occasionally. The Academy’s goal is to help players understand what it really means to be a Christian. It’s not a bunch of rules and regulations, but it’s having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Regardless of the spiritual development a player chooses, our goal is to help our players grow into men of character and integrity, so they will be better husbands, fathers, leaders, and community members.
Academic Development
Academic Support – We will provide each player with top-notch academic support. The basic responsibility for the player’s education will fall on the family. The family will decide which online educational option the player will use to finish his high school degree. Most states have some type of free online schools like Connections Academy or Virtual School. Our knowledgeable staff can help families as they choose the best online platform for them. Our academic support will include a full-time academic advisor, mandatory study hall time, tutor availability, SAT and ACT prep, and NCAA eligibility and compliance guidance.
International Development
International Experience – The players will take an annual mission trip to the Dominican Republic. While on this trip, they will play games against Dominican teams and do mission work. This mission work will include visiting orphanages and schools, taking food to needy families in sugar cane villages, and doing service projects. The players will stay in Casa de Campo, a beautiful, gated resort in La Romana. Coach Hudak has taken 16 high school and college teams on mission trips to the DR. They are very safe and very life changing.
— Our Story —
Kingsmen Baseball Academy is the combination of Joe Hudak’s lifetime in baseball and his unshakable faith. After coaching college baseball for 31 years, Coach Hudak joined the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as an Area Director. While serving with FCA in 2015, he started his first faith-based summer college team. In 2016, with two kids in college and one in tenth grade, Hudak quit his job to start the non-profit Kingsmen Baseball, a Christian baseball ministry. Since then, they have sponsored a college summer team, winning championships on the field and impacting the players’ faith off the field. The team has team Bible studies, goes to church together, and takes an annual mission trip to the Dominican Republic. During the summer of 2023, Hudak felt led to start an elite faith-based baseball academy for high school players. The goal for the college team and the academy team is the same – helping the players become the best baseball players they can be while also helping them grow in their faith.
Kingsmen Baseball has plans to start two academies in the next two years. Kingsmen Baseball Academy Charleston will open at Shipyard Park in August of 2024. All is in place, including a state-of-the-art facility, an experienced and successful coaching staff, excellent housing for the players, and great weather.
Kingsmen Baseball Academy Charlotte is scheduled to open in August of 2025. The team already has a contract to practice and play at the beautiful CaroMont Health Park in nearby Gastonia. It is a state-of-the-art $21.5 million professional facility built in 2020. There is a very nice apartment complex just beyond the centerfield wall that will house the players. The only thing not finalized is the coaching staff, which will also be experienced and successful. KINGSMEN BASEBALL IS PREPARED TO START THE CHARLOTTE ACADEMY IN AUGUST OF 2024 IF THERE IS ENOUGH INTEREST TO FILL THE ROSTER WITH TALENTED PLAYERS.