A baseball training facility founded by former major league pitcher and Iowa native Cal Eldred and his son, CJ Eldred, will open in mid-January at 705 Tower Terrace Road in Hiawatha.
Eldred Baseball & Performance will serve players ranging from youth athletes to professional-level competitors, according to an announcement Monday, Jan. 12.
Cal Eldred pitched 14 seasons in Major League Baseball after being drafted 17th overall out of the University of Iowa. He played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago White Sox and St. Louis Cardinals, finishing his playing career with an appearance in the 2004 World Series. He went 11-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 1992 and led the American League in innings pitched in 1993 with a career-high 16 wins.
After retiring as a player, Cal Eldred served as special assistant to the general manager for the St. Louis Cardinals from 2006 to 2016, then held a similar role with the Kansas City Royals from 2016 to 2017. He was the Royals’ pitching coach from 2018 to 2022.
CJ Eldred, also a University of Iowa alum, spent eight years in professional baseball with the Kansas City Royals organization, the Kane County Cougars in the American Association and the Dominican Republic Winter League. He pitched to the Double-A level with the Royals and earned back-to-back Pitcher of the Week honors in 2023 with the Cougars, during which he went 7-0 with a 0.48 ERA over 56 innings.
“After my playing career I had an opportunity to be around and instruct pitchers throughout their entire season. This allowed me to see what was needed for not only pitchers but all players,” CJ Eldred said. “This need is a place to train with intentionality that offers everything under one roof for each player to get to the next level.”
Cal Eldred said the facility will offer instruction, programs and camps designed to help players of all ages and levels.
“As a kid growing up in Iowa, I was blessed to play for some excellent coaches from Little League through the University of Iowa,” he said. “I see Eldred Baseball & Performance as a way to give back to young kids and coaches not only from our community and the state of Iowa but the entire country.”
The facility’s first clinic at its new location, the Eldred-Kepros 6th Annual Spring Training Throwing Program, will be held Jan. 26. The nine-week program meets twice weekly and is designed for all baseball athletes, not just pitchers. The clinic includes Trackman analysis, video recording and biomechanical assessments through Kepros Physical Therapy & Performance, along with sports counseling collaboration with Katie Johnson of Johnson Counseling. An optional five-week “Mound Day” extension is available.
Registration details are available at eldredbaseball.com.
