HSBN Announces Major 2016 Expansion

Six years ago, brothers Anthony and Jamie Uttariello had a vision to bring greater exposure to the incredible baseball talent in Broward County. Very quickly this planted seed sprouted into a local revolution and Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties were included. The hotbed of talent in South Florida was provided a platform to display those abilities, amazing relationships were forged and nurtured across the baseball community, and thousands of high school baseball players enjoyed more memorable experiences throughout their careers.

Today High School Baseball Network is pleased to announce the newest members of its large baseball family. Beginning with this 2016 spring season HSBN has extended to provide coverage sweeping up the southwestern side of the state and also north to Orlando. Teams from those regions will now enjoy the same enhanced high school baseball experience through the three new websites, swflhighschoolbaseball.com, tampabayhighschoolbaseball.com and orlandohighschoolbaseball.com. The company has also expanded the region in Palm Beach County to include another 15 programs in northern Stuart, Martin and Brevard counties.

Gulf Coast Assistant Coach Jeff Rosa previously coached at Boca Raton during the first season that palmbeachhighschoolbaseball.com launched in 2012. He has not forgotten the balanced coverage every team got across the county, and how much support from the parents that HSBN receives. HSBN has a good following, and since returning across Alligator Alley back to Gulf Coast, Rosa had remained hopeful that eventually this community would also get to enjoy what HSBN has to offer.

“I am pretty excited about this, because when I was at Boca Raton I thought HSBN did a great job of covering the games, and they covered all the teams,” said Rosa. “They really covered the schools well and I always thought it was really good for the kids. I think the fact that they are now expanding will do the same for the kids over here. Once they get used to it, everybody will be using this site. HSBN already has a good following, and this expansion will make that reach even greater.”

HSBN provides readers with massive game coverage, results, highlights, photo galleries, statistics, features, scouting profiles and much more. Over the past half decade it has covered thousands of baseball games across South Florida, becoming an integral part of the baseball community.

“High school baseball in Florida is as exciting as ever because of HSBN,” said Archbishop McCarthy manager and seven-time state champion Rich Bielski. “Their coverage is truly Big League. Through HSBN, Florida’s talented players and teams get the outstanding coverage and recognition they deserve. Everyone loves it and is so appreciative for everything HSBN has done for the Florida high school baseball community.”

Since its beginnings HSBN has grown to include offseason developmental leagues and tournaments, the Fall Classic three-week tournament, the tri-county South Florida Preseason Challenge tournament, charity Game of the Weeks, annual Senior All-Star and Awards events, and last year’s inaugural March Madness Spring Break tournament. This year HSBN will also host the HSBN Media Day Combine and Showcase, the first of its kind in the entire U.S., and has launched its first First Pitch Frenzy tournament at the start of the regular season.

Children take part in the spin-the-bat challenge at the HSBN 2015 Palm Beach Senior All Star Game.

Archbishop McCarthy won its fifth state title in the past six years last season, and also won a national championship in 2012. Fellow Broward County program Flanagan has won three state titles in the past ten years, and also won a national championship in 2010. The two schools are but a few miles apart and there had always been interest in playing one another, and three years ago the two finally made it possible through a unified effort with HSBN. This was the start of the Game off the Week, a spotlight weekly contest in which a portion of the proceeds are donated to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation, which has been partners with HSBN for many years.

“HSBN has absolutely blown up over the recent years,” said Flanagan manager Ray Evans. “It has brought so much attention to not only Broward County baseball but to the tri-county area. HSBN brings teams together to play games that have never been played. The online site is phenomenal and very easy to move through. It gives so much information about so many teams and players. They have put together one of the most competitive spring break tournaments in the state, as well as one of the best preseason classic lineups. They started a summer and fall league so teams can stay together and continue to practice and play in the offseason if they so desire. I’m very happy to be a part of HSBN and everything it has become.”

The addition of the three new sites has been something HSBN founders have been envisioning for several years.

“To us, our goal when we started HSBN was simple, provide the best high school baseball coverage in the country, and give players an avenue to showcase their talents for colleges and pro scouts,” said Vice-President and Director of Operations Anthony Uttariello. “What sprouted out of that vision was a community pride that has spanned the past six years. We felt the time was right to bring this community atmosphere to thousands of other student-athletes in the state of Florida outside of South Florida, and to give these players, coaches, and fans in Tampa, Southwest Florida, and Orlando somewhere to call home.”

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