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Scout Day Spotlight: Cincinnati Spikes

MASON - Phil Arrington has learned a lot in his nearly 30 years with the Cincinnati Spikes.

“The goals for me early on were to win every game and travel around the country,” Arrington reflected. “But as things evolved, around 2005-06, I took a step back and thought about what benefits am I doing for these kids.”

Arrington, who founded the organization back in 1990 and remains president of the Spikes, came to a realization about what he wanted the group to be about.

“From a baseball standpoint we want to develop them to get off to college,” Arrington explained. “But more importantly, it’s about being a steward of what God gives you. Appreciate that, family and time. When you go off to college, value that education and after that go out and give back.

“A lot of our guys do something special once they’re out of baseball. While baseball is important, there is a life outside that and we try to prepare them for that.”

The number of teams in the Spikes organization has remained steady as time has gone by, with either three or four each year.

“I’ve had a lot of questions why not a team at every level?,” Arrington said. “But I don’t want to battle myself for field time. The guys who coach in our program played and coached in it and understand the vision and mission of the program. I never wanted to franchise out and be coached by individuals I don’t know. I want to keep it in the family, and it works.”

Arrington points to a pair of men who have been a big part of making the Spikes what they are today. Chris Young helped Arrington start the organization while outside the program Keith Madison, a long-time coach at Kentucky, has been a mentor to coaches in the program.

Along the way, nine former Spikes have gone on to play at the professional level, some knocking on the major league door at spring training this year. Helping make that happen is exposure early on, with the Spikes this year participating in the PBR Scout Day event for the first time.

“We’ve had a number of players participate in PBR events and we host the Top Prospect Games at our facility,” Arrington noted about the relationship with PBR. “Participating in mid-February when you haven’t been out gets the juices going to compete. It’s good for them as they get ready for their high school season.”

Expectations for the event were met.

“We were looking to see continued improvement, to see if the players had put in the work,” Arrington noted. “Life is a constant improvement concept. We want them to understand that life is about accountability. We’re always interested in how guys are going into those situations. We want them to understand that everybody is watching you all the time. A lot of the guys that go to a number of these, we don’t want them to think this is just another one.”

While the players develop both mentally and physically, Arrington and company enjoy the opportunity of witnessing the growth.

“We start with teams at the 10-year-old level and our goal is to take them all the way through to they’re 18,” Arrington said. “But that’s very difficult. Baseball is a tough game. When you get to 13 or 14 curves are tough to hit.”

Those that stay, are much appreciated.

“The personal relationships watching guys grow is working for me now,” Arrington said. “It’s awesome watching them grow and go off to college, go on and have a family and cycle back. At the same time, we’re watching these individuals grow spiritually.”

It is a concept Arrington did not imagine when the Spikes began back in 1990.

“I was involved in coaching at the recreational level in Montgomery back then,” Arrington reflected. “I enjoyed it .. I had no kids at the time. Then I had a father ask if I was interested in taking kids to select travel ball. I had no resources at the time and I had no idea what I was getting into. I’m just thankful and blessed to be able to do it, but that’s where it all started in 1990.”

Nearly 30 years later, Arrington has the Spikes going strong playing at one of the best facilities in the midwest at Prasco Park and Legacy Field.

“It’s unique place,” Arrington noted about the facility that has hosted the PBR Top Prospect Games since 2011. “We go to a number of events across the country to play, but we also try to bring in as many teams here as possible each year.”

The facilities fit in well with the vision of the organization, one which involves reaching a level of excellence second to none, becoming a dominant force nationally, while modeling the ideals of good sportsmanship and the Christian way of life.