SWING CITY ACADEMY EST. MMXXII PAGE 01
Swing City Academy
VOLUME II · EDITION 03 · SPRING 2026
TEMECULA · CALIFORNIA

The Yearbook

the Class of 2026

⚘ A YEAR IN REVIEW ⚘

Forty-three students. Three groups. One roof in Temecula. These are the pages of our year — printed, not posted.

43
ENROLLED
03
GROUPS
06
HONORS
05
AMENITIES
— THE COVER STORY — PAGE 02 · OF XXIV
⚘ ⚘ ⚘ ⚘
“The Cage at first light.”
PHOTO BY R. ESPINOZA  ·  SPRING 2026
— FEATURE STORY —

Built for the season.

— A NOTE FROM COACH TONY —

We built this academy the way our grandfathers built ballparks — by hand, by reps, by showing up before the lights came on. Fourteen pro cages. A HitTrax simulator on the wall. Twenty-thousand square feet of grit, lined paper, and chalk dust. The kids who walk through these doors get coached on hitting, on hand-writing, and on how to look an adult in the eye when they shake hands.

This is the third edition of the Swing City yearbook. The names are real. The grades are real. The exit-velo numbers, the GPA bumps, the hand-written essays under the magnet on the equipment-room fridge — all of it, real. Turn the page.

— Tony Salinas
FOUNDER · HEAD INSTRUCTOR
VOL. II
ED. 03
⚘ CONTINUED ⚘
— THE THREE GROUPS —

The Class of 2026

Grouped by grade. Each group rotates daily through baseball, classroom, and strength — printed below in order of seniority.

P. 04

Group I · 5th–6th Grade

14 ENROLLED  ·  AGES 10–12

Our youngest cohort. Fundamentals year — hitting mechanics, throwing motion, footwork, eye contact. Math and reading two periods a day under our credentialed teacher, Ms. Trent, who taught seven years in Murrieta before joining us. They learn the box score before they learn how to keep one.

“The quiet years. Where habits get built.”
— COACH RIVERA
— ROSTER · GROUP I —
Aiden M.
Marcus T.
Diego R.
Caleb H.
Noah P.
Elijah V.
Mason W.
Theo G.
Brody A.
Lincoln D.
Hudson S.
Ezra K.
Beau L.
Otis F.
P. 06

Group II · 6th–7th Grade

17 ENROLLED  ·  AGES 11–13

The middle cohort — and the heart of our program. Skill year. HitTrax data introduced. Position specialization begins. Algebra prep, daily writing, and science labs that include real glassware, not worksheets. By spring quarter their box scores tell us as much about their study habits as their swings do.

“The year everything starts to click.”
— COACH REYES
— ROSTER · GROUP II —
Carson M.
Jordan P.
Wyatt B.
Luca N.
Reed O.
Silas E.
Bennett Y.
Sawyer Q.
Knox I.
Tate U.
Cole J.
Asher X.
Rowan Z.
Finn C.
Pierce O.
Maverick R.
Holden W.
P. 08

Group III · 7th–8th Grade

12 ENROLLED  ·  AGES 12–14

Showcase year. Rapsodo data, video review, position-specific training under Coach Tony. High-school-prep academics with HS-level math and lab science. These are the seniors of our middle-school program — the ones who set the tone for everyone walking through the front door.

“Hand them the keys; they lock up.”
— COACH TONY
— ROSTER · GROUP III —
Avery K.
Owen S.
Liam D.
Carter J.
Jaxon E.
Greyson L.
Easton T.
Ronan B.
Kai A.
Atticus G.
Soren M.
Declan P.
— HONOR ROLL · QUARTER 3 — PAGE 12
⚘

Honor Roll

Class of 2026  ·  Quarter 3  ·  Spring Term
RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE, CHARACTER & EFFORT
— HIGH HONORS —
Carson Mitchell
GROUP II · 6TH GRADE
4.00
⚘ GPA
Avery Knox
GROUP III · 7TH GRADE
3.90
⚘ GPA
Owen Sutton
GROUP III · 8TH GRADE
3.80
⚘ GPA
— HONORS & AWARDS —
Marcus Trent
GROUP I · 5TH GRADE
3.70
HONORS
Jordan Paige
GROUP II · 7TH GRADE
CHARACTER
AWARD
Diego Reyes
GROUP I · 6TH GRADE
+1.2 GPA
MOST IMPROVED
— OUR HONORS CLASS, PHOTOGRAPHED —
CARSON M.
4.0 GPA
AVERY K.
3.9 GPA
MARCUS T.
HONORS
JORDAN P.
CHARACTER
DIEGO R.
+1.2 GPA
OWEN S.
3.8 GPA
⚘
— INSIDE THE CLASSROOM — PAGE 16

A Day, printed.

Half the day at the desk, half at the plate. These pages were photographed by parents on tour day — printed here without retouching beyond the sepia.

“Pencils down. Hands up.” Group II during morning math block.
PLATE 01 · TUE 09:14 AM
“Reading block. Group I — library hour.”
PLATE 02
“Lab science. Group III — spring quarter.”
PLATE 03
“Cage 04. Liam, batting practice.”
PLATE 04
“Writing hour. Pencils, pages, quiet.”
PLATE 05
— THE FACILITY · A CENTERFOLD — PAGES 18–22

Five programs, one roof.

Twenty-thousand square feet in Temecula. Every program staffed by a coach Tony hand-picked. Photographed by parents, printed without permission slips.

PLATE 06 · THE STRENGTH ROOM
— PAGE 18 · AMENITY ONE —

The Weight Room

Our strength program is age-banded and growth-plate-safe — loads progress only after the movement does. Squat, hinge, pull, push. Every athlete in Groups II and III lifts at least twice a week under Coach Vela, a former D-I strength coach who can spot a hitch in a deadlift from the squat rack. We track every set in hand-written notebooks because the kids remember more when they write it down.

COACH VELA · CERTIFIED CSCS
PLATE 07 · THE PITCHING LAB
— PAGE 19 · AMENITY TWO —

The Pitching Lab

Velocity, spin rate, axis tilt, break — every pitch tracked by Rapsodo and printed onto the wall above the bullpen. Group III athletes study their charts the way our grandparents studied scoreboards. We don't ask kids to chase numbers; we ask them to understand them. The lab is open from 6 AM, and the first kid in usually beats Coach Tony to the door.

RAPSODO PITCHING 3.0 · HITTRAX V4
PLATE 08 · THE AGILITY TURF
— PAGE 20 · AMENITY THREE —

Speed & Agility

Twice-weekly turf, ladder drills, lateral resistance bands, and 60-yard timing every quarter. We measure first steps, change-of-direction, and reaction off a coach's clap. Group I focuses on body awareness; Group III chases combine-grade numbers. The fastest kid this quarter shaved 0.42 seconds off his 60 between September and March. We printed his card and put it on the fridge.

COACH REYES · FORMER MINOR-LEAGUE OF
PLATE 09 · THE INFIELD CLINIC
— PAGE 21 · AMENITY FOUR —

Defense & Footwork

Infield reads, outfield routes, double-play turns, pop-flies under lights. The defensive program runs on a six-week rotation; every athlete spends time at every position before specializing. We believe an outfielder who's played second base reads a fly ball better. The fungo bat by the door has a leather grip worn smooth by Coach Rivera's right hand — fifteen years and counting.

COACH RIVERA · 15 YRS · INFIELD CRAFT
PLATE 10 · THE HITTING CAGES
— PAGE 22 · AMENITY FIVE —

The Hitting Cages

Fourteen pro-grade cages, three head hitting coaches, and a HitTrax simulator on cage four that pulls up real college-park dimensions. Every swing is tracked; every weekly video review is printed and clipped above the kid's locker. We have a saying here — hands are habits. The best hitter in our 8th-grade class took 3,200 cuts last quarter. We counted.

COACH TONY · HEAD HITTING INSTRUCTOR
⚘
THE FACILITY IS OPEN SEVEN DAYS · TEMECULA, CA
— tours every Saturday at 10 AM. Walk-ins welcome. —
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