Young athletes in the community – especially those looking to improve their baseball or softball skills – now have a new place to hone their craft: right above Power Haus.

Xtra Innings Training Facility has been operating for just over a month. 

Somewhat humble compared to the larger Power Haus footprint at 8719 Hanover Industrial Drive near Columbia, the space boasts a trio of batting cages as well as weights and other necessities for youth to do more general exercise.

Sam Haag, the owner of Xtra Innings, spoke about how the facility got started as well as his broader passion for softball and youth athletics.

Haag grew up in Arnold, Mo., having moved across the river 16 years ago when he got married.

He had a deep interest in baseball as a kid, participating in the Arnold Athletic Association. It was this interest and his appreciation for the positive impact sports can have that would lead him to his later youth sports endeavors.

Along with past participation in the Columbia Athletic Association, Haag has come to be known in the community as the creator of Fury Fastpitch STL, a softball club which has been providing local athletes with an alternative to select sports, which he criticized as oftentimes being too profit-oriented.

“The reason that I started Fury as a nonprofit organization was to be able to provide people in our community a place to get all those things but not profit at the end of the day,” Haag said. “I’m not in it to make money. I’m in it to give children the correct things to learn to play the game and become a good person.”

Haag said Fury has been operating for five years and currently consists of seven teams and about 90 athletes which play about 80 games through the year.

He noted the importance of having a club alternative besides recreational softball, as the handful of practices and games a recreational team participates in provides exceptionally little training and experience compared to a club team’s roughly 80 games and frequent practices.

Along with wanting to provide a nonprofit alternative, Haag approached the creation of Fury with a very fatherly perspective given he wanted his daughters to have a positive experience in sports.

Fury, he said, focuses on both athletics and character-building, particularly in the form of charity work.

“We pride ourselves in not only developing good players on the field but good characters off the field,” Haag said. “Not only do we put a lot of time into our athletes to make them good athletes on the field, we try to teach them to be good characters in society as well by correct behavior, communication, giving back to the community.”

As Haag explained, Fury began as a partnership with Power Haus, a relationship which would provide the foundation for the development of Xtra Innings.

As mentioned, the training facility is on the upper floor of Power Haus, marked at the top of a staircase near that location’s larger soccer field.

Haag said that Fury previously made use of both Power Haus fields for their training, though as one of those fields became dedicated to Power Haus Cheer, Haag felt a need for additional space.

He worked out a leasing agreement with the owners of Power Haus for the upper floor space which previously served as a daycare.

Taking over the facility in August, renovations took about three months, and Xtra Innings officially opened at the start of November.

The space is currently available to rent, though Haag noted weekdays through January are currently booked solid with weekends filling up. Xtra Innings also offers lessons from three trainers on staff.

Haag spoke about his overall goal for Xtra Innings which is much the same as his goal for Fury. He noted how there are plenty of gyms and rec facilities for adults in the area, so he hopes for this space to serve those young athletes who really need it.

“We have all these gyms in the community… they don’t really focus on youth which is what I’m trying to do here,” Haag said. “This facility here is geared for 10-year-olds to college-aged athletes. I’m not trying to get adults to come up here and train and work out. I’m trying to get kids the age of my kid, my daughter, my older daughter, high school athletes to be able to train.”

While the space is predominantly meant for softball and baseball practice – a substantial amount of the footprint is dedicated to the three batting cages – Haag also discussed why he wanted to use the additional space for weights and other exercise equipment as well as the importance of general fitness and physical training for any athlete.

“To have a successful athlete, they not only can learn how to field, catch, throw… Everyone has to work on strength and conditioning to be able to reach the next level,” Haag said. “So if a player wants – whatever sport they’re playing – if they want to play at a college level, it takes more than just practicing the game. It takes total body.”

Haag expressed his overall hopes for Xtra Innings to serve as a comfortable space for any young athlete to train.

He said he has so far received very positive feedback on the facility.

“This place provides a safe space for any level athlete to learn the skills to succeed at the game, from an entry-level t-ball player being able to come in here and take lessons and learn how to hit to a college-age person coming in here and putting in repetition,” Haag said.

For more information, visit the Xtra Innings Facebook page or email wsamhaag@hotmail.com.