Instructor: Nick Conner

Nick attended Eastside High School in Greenville, SC.  Nick set the All-Time single season strikout record along with MVP selections and Most Valuable Pitcher.  Nick reached a 93 mph fastball along with All-Region selections and many others.  Coach Alexander, recruited Nick to play at Spartanburg Methodist in 2003.  Coach Alexander is now the head pitching Coach at Elon University.  Nick pitched in the Junior College World Series in 2003 and graduated with a B.S. in Recreation. He has been giving private hitting and pitching lessons on a daily basis since graduation. Finally locating the perfect spot Conner opened up Upstate Baseball and Softball Academy where players from across the upstate have been coming to work on their strengths and weaknesses. 

Softball Instructors:  Valerie Hosler

  After an intense search we finally found the right fit for our staff. Valerie played at D.W. Daniel High School for six years.  A high school stand-out, she had the highest batting average in the Upstate her junior year.  She was a two-time selection to both the All-Region and All-Golden Corner teams and she was named the Hot Corner Offensive Player of the Year her senior year.   Valerie has 8 years of pitching experience at the competitive fastpitch level on numerous elite traveling squads.  In 2005, as a member of the 18U Carolina T-Birds, Valerie led the pitching staff with a 0.00 ERA in the Rising Stars College Showcase Tournament in Davie, FL.  Valerie is currently the Pitching and Assistant coach at DHS.  She attends Clemson University, majoring in Secondary Education with a minor in Athletic Leadership.  We are very excited to finally have her on our staff and will be available for lessons for all ages!

Instructor Bios

Nick Conner is the owner and operator of Upstate Baseball and Softball Academy.  Nick has a B.S. in Recreation and a tremendous background in baseball.  Having pitched in the 2003 Junior College World Series in Grand Juction, Colorado at Spartanburg Methodist College, he has a great understanding of the game.

90 % of the pitching and hitting routines comes from the same agendas that help Spartanburg Methodist to remain in the top 10 in the nation in JUCO baseball every year.  Coach Tim Wallace at Spartanburg Methodist remains at the top of his game every season.  

Our intructors use one on one instruction to give players their entire focus. Working towards a goal helps players reach their full potential.