Our Story

Our own Field of Dreams — To any baseball fan, they know of the “Field of Dreams” from either watching it in the classic film or by traveling to its location in Dyersville, Iowa. For our family, it was built in our backyard.

Our dad, Jay Fennell, had a true passion for the sport of baseball. As young kids, we were lucky enough to travel around and watch our oldest brother, Jason, play professionally for the Chicago White Sox. Every year, we were excited for spring time to turn the corner because we knew baseball was officially here. It was the time of year where we would head to a field and get lost in time with hundreds of ground balls, fly balls, and swings until the sun set on us. We just couldn’t get enough of it. We were young, but we knew we had the passion that our dad had for this great game!

Each year would pass, and our love of the game continued to grow more and more. Our dad realized he did not want to do anything else, but make baseball his life and career. By the time we were seven and nine, he completed building our own “Field of Dreams” in our backyard… a full-size little league field, a full dirt infield, and an indoor batting cage. We were in baseball heaven! At that moment, we knew baseball was going to be apart of our lives forever.

Through the times of little league, travel ball, PONY, high school, college baseball, and professional ball, it all slowly paved our path of life. Having the privilege of playing a GAME for the majority of our lives is a blessing. It created an opportunity for us to get a college education and meet our wives through the process. That 5oz. ball changed our lives forever! It created friendships, relationships, family, and many memories that will never fade. It showed us how to be winners, losers, competitors, a teammate, and a friend when someone needs one. It teaches life lessons, such as: hard work, how to deal with failure, how to be humble with success, and how to use that success or failure as motivation to work hard when no one is watching. It showed us the demand of dedication to be able to prioritize what needs to get done such as school, work, or even the juggling of being a multi-sport athlete. Most of all, it taught us how to have FUN while doing what we love. The amount of life lessons that this game has shown us helped make us the men we are today. Each day you are involved with this game, you never know what you may learn. When you think you know it all, is the day that you know nothing. Our dad taught us that at a young age, and we can’t wait to see what else this game has to teach us because we aren’t finished learning yet!

~ Mick and Ryan Fennell

Coaches

All of our instructors are Fennell Brothers Certified. Starting with Jay Fennell in the early 2000s, Fennell Brothers Baseball has adapted over the years to give the best possible instruction from players and coaches.

Our goal is to create a personal relationship with each player, where they can feel comfortable receiving the information and instruction that we give them. Our methods of teaching have been proven to create some of the best players to ever come out of Western Pennsylvania.

Mick Fennell

Mick graduated from California University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Sports Management, He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 22nd round of the MLB Draft. Mick won a NYPL Championship with the State College Spikes in 2016 (Short Season A team for St. Louis Cardinals). He holds career records of 1st in Triples (27), 1st in runs scored (175) and 2nd in hits (223) at Cal U of PA. He was awarded THE 2015 ABCA ALL-AMERICAN and 2016 PSAC West Player of the Year, 2X All-Region Team, and 3X All-PSAC Team. He was named semifinalist for THE Tino Martinez D2 Player of the Year Award and Co-recipient of the Bruce Dal Canton Pitching Award.

Ryan Fennell

Ryan is a Founder of FB Baseball with an impressive background in the sport. A former player at La Roche University, he achieved the distinction of being a two-time AMCC champion. Since the age of 16, Ryan has been sharing his passion for baseball, amassing 16 years of experience in coaching and mentoring young athletes. he and Mick take pride in creating a program that emphasizes both skill development and a love for the game. Over the years, Ryan has helped countless kids improve their techniques and hone their abilities, particularly high-level hitters looking to elevate their performance. His approach combines technical expertise with motivational support, fostering not only talent but also confidence in his students. Ryan’s dedication to the sport and his players is evident in the success stories that continue to emerge from the program.

D Wood.jpg — Derrick Wood

Derrick graduated frOm duquesne university with a degree in secondary education. he spent his high school summers playing under former major leaguer sid bream for seneca valley in the wpebl. over the last ten years derrick has been heavily involved with baseball in the pittsburgh and surrounding areas. derrick has trained thousands of players all ages and skill levels. he has also assisted in the university of pittsburgh prospect camps, red letter showcases, and the primetime games. derrick brings experience from serving as youth director for a PITTSBURGH-BASED travel organization where he successfully coached multiple teams, oversaw coaching and player development, and ran the organization.
Coach Wood currently coaches our 10u and 17U Express team, and IS an assistant coach at grove city college. come join FBB and meet derrick for yourself!