Rhino Sports Academy

One of the premier travel baseball and softball programs in the Midwest, based in Shorewood, IL. Founded in 2013 (baseball) and 2021 (softball), Rhino operates a 50,000 sq ft private facility with 7 batting cages, a full infield, weight room, and on-site physical therapy. Over 365 alumni have gone on to play college ball including 53 DI commits and 8 professionals.

“While I wish softball had more opportunities to use the Ruino facility rather than the Joliet facility, the training and coaches are amazing. They focus on development and creating all around athletes, including the mental game. We are very happy with our decision to join the Rhino organization and plan to stay for many seasons. ”

“My daughter just wrapped up her 13U travel ball season for this organization and i can honestly say out of the 5 yrs shes playing travel ball this has been her most fun. The coaches were phenomenal, she built a bond with Coach Rex more than i ever could imagine, the girls really looked up to Coach Rex she was like a big sister to them! Asst coach Brandon did a phenomenal job behind the scenes keeping everything organized and the parents well informed on game updates and everything in general he really cares for each of these girls and their development. 2 different practice facilities as options 1 has an indoor field the other one is used more as a batting practice & drill facility. This was out first season with Rhino and we were very happy after playing with multiple organizations in the past. ”

“I’ve had 3 kids play or currently play for Rhino starting at the age of 7. The facilities are second to none in the Chicagoland area. Yes- tough to get the field during the season peak hours, but mornings, late evenings, and weekends are accessible. It’s a great to have the facility in the offseason as there’s always field and cage availability. Additonally- it’s only for Rhino teams and players. Cages are usually always available as they have plenty of tunnels. Overall facilities are well maintained and a huge advantage for Rhino. The offseason fall and winter workouts are great for getting offseason instruction and reps and have improved immensely over the past 4 years (I believe they’ve done a great job of taking parent feedback). No other baseball program offers this at no additional cost… Of course you pay more for the facility and instruction, nearly $4k for 9u- 14u (before unis and tourneys). However I believe other private orgs are similar with way less in terms of offseason instruction and facilities. The instructors have also gotten much better over the years with legit instructors with bonafides. The in season experience will ALWAYS depend on your coach. All the typical travel ball antics can happen as each of our coaches have had their strengths and weaknesses, but overall we’ve had positive experiences. I’ve heard some stories on other teams that make me question some of the decision making at the leadership level, but nothing egregious- and overall they care about development. Ultimately, it’s also a business and Rhino seems to be bringing in more teams at each level. Hope it’s doesn’t start to reflect what I see at other nearby orgs with half a dozen teams at each level and renting the field out to flag football and other teams. Pricing continues to increase each year, but so do groceries. The cost of travel anything is a shame anyhow so not just a Rhino issue. My honest opinion is there’s a lot of love about Rhino with a few flaws that I believe they continuously work to improve. ”