Duke Baxter is a ball of energy, as soon as you walk in the door of Zoned Sports Academy. Even after 20 years in the game.

Actually, he’s been in the game of baseball much longer, playing the game as a kid, collegiately at North Florida, and ending with a stint within earshot of his gleaming training facility just off Route 28 – with the Somerset Patriots, then of the independent Atlantic League.

Does he have another 20 years? You bet.

When he started out, training academies weren’t nearly as popular as they are now. Many doubted he could do it; offering individual coaching to baseball and softball players in Central Jersey and beyond – and eve to their coaches!

There’s also team training, too. In fact, Ridge and Bridgewater-Raritan – half the teams playing in Monday’s Somerset County Tournament semifinals at TD Bank Park – both train at Zoned Sports Academy.

And he’s adapted to the growing influence of technology, posting TikTok videos, and producing and hosting the “Get Zoned In” podcast.

Zoned Sports Academy has grown and thrived over the years, and even survived in the face of challenges like COVID-19, where he developed virtual training sessions, and was even featured on Fox News because of it.

Click here to find out more about Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater.

And click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with owner and founder Duke Baxter about Zoned Sports Academy, and all they have to offer: