Keeton Tennison remembers what it was like to be a young athlete looking for direction.
It’s what led the current owner of Ten-10 Training and the newest owner of D-Bat Ruston to his current calling.
“I was one of those kids,” said Keeton.” I was a basketball guy by trade, but I wasn’t the guy who God blessed with unbelievable athletic ability and talent. I had to work for every inch of athleticism, so I relate so much to those kids who are struggling, the ones who are flat footed or don’t have the fast twitch fiber ratio.
“I see those kids every day, and I was them at one time in my life. I was fortunate back then that I met someone with the keys to unlock my athleticism. Now I feel it’s my responsibility to come back and give those same kids the same opportunity.”
Keeton and his wife Lexie moved from north Arkansas to Ruston in early 2023, knowing that the community was the perfect place to dive into sports performance training.
“The people that make up this community are the magnet that pulled us back here,” said Keeton, a former college basketball player. “I knew this was a sports town. I knew this was a place looking for more opportunities for the kid that wasn’t blessed with God-given natural ability. There is a pool of young people looking for the answer and in need of the solution.”
Keeton opened Ten-10 Training in 2023, a training facility geared towards football, basketball and volleyball athletes. Less than two months ago, he bought D-Bat Ruston in order to round out his sports performance training opportunities.
“I still hear people say, ‘I didn’t even know this was in Ruston,’” said Keeton.’ “Ten-10 Training was primarily football, basketball and volleyball. Now we have the resources and space to be able to give our baseball and softball athletes the proper tools they need to take it to the next level.”
It’s the perfect mix.
“There was a gap in what Ten-10 Training could offer,” said Keeton. “Here at Ten-10 Training, when you walk in the first thing you see is a basketball court. When you walk into D-Bat it’s a totally different environment and vibe. Some of the sports science technology, you couldn’t just take it here and put it in D-Bat.
“D-Bat has the setup to be able to host some of the high-end analytic machines that baseball and softball players need. It was integrating the facility and what it could offer and the passion for sports performance and athletic development and bringing it under one facility.”
According to Keeton, D-Bat Ruston provides the following resources and opportunities for young baseball and softball athletes.
- HitTrax – an AI system that is gold standard of hitting development, similar to a golf simulator, for both baseball and softball players.
“As soon as ball is hit, it provides analytics such as ball flight, launch angle, exit velocity, rotational acceleration,” said Keeton. “All the metrics needed to measure where hitter is at, and the pathway needed to become a great hitter.”
- Performance Pitching (baseball and softball) – blend resistance training along with skills needed to be a successful pitcher on the mound or in the circle
- Power Hitting (baseball and softball) – blend of correct biomechanical positions and resistance power development that lower body and core needs to be successful
Keeton also said that D-Bat Ruston will provide the opportunity for different types of leagues for different age groups.
“With HitTrax you can play leagues against teams from all over as long as they have the same system,” said Tennison. “It’s amazing. We can be here in Ruston, and we can play a team say from Canada. We get a three to four-person roster. We hit and the fielders never make a mistake. There are never errors. It’s 100 percent that you must hit the ball in a gap or over the fence to get points. It is reps.
“While you are doing that, the team in Canada is watching what you are doing. When we get our three outs, it’s their turn to hit. They step into the machine and use three or four-person rosters there. And we see what they are doing. When they get their three outs, it’s our turn again. You do this for seven innings. It’s highly competitive, incredibly engaging and a lot of fun.”
Keeton also said that starting after the first of the year, D-Bat Ruston will over indoor t-ball leagues for 4- to 7-year-olds in both baseball and softball.
“We roll the nets back and create an open space in here for them to play,” said Tennison.
D-Bat Ruston
Website: http://www.Dbatruston.com
Phone: 318-788-3228
Address: 1604 Industrial Drive
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. M-F & 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. S-S
Ten-10 Training
Website: Ten10Training.com
Address: 1808 East Kentucky Avenue
Hours: 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday & Saturday and Sunday by appointment
This is a paid advertorial
