MacStrength FL offers sport and lifestyle training for young athletes

Connor Cornell and Garren Telesz bleed baseball. They grew up with the game and played in college.

The two were coaching separately in Southwest Florida when they met just over a year ago, and Cornell had an idea for the two of them to open a training facility.

“One thing led to another, then all of a sudden, you have this kind of shiny facility with all these new things and a lot of people in here,” Cornell said.

Now, the two co-own MacStrength Florida in Naples and coach young baseball and softball players.

“It’s the coolest thing to wake up and get to come here with kids who are fired up to play the sport,” Cornell said.

In only a year, their facility has grown from an empty building into a pitching, batting, fielding, strength and conditioning facility.

“A lot of blood, sweat and tears that went into building this place,” Cornell said. “It went from all the way down to laying the turf and getting the nets up.”

Cornell, Telesz and their staff see about 120 kids weekly come through MacStrength FL’s doors.

“We really have created a welcoming environment for these kids to understand that failing is OK, messing up is okay,” Telesz said. “Let’s be on top of our effort, but know that we’re not going to be perfect, and we’re just slowly progressing.”

And while it’s small, their vision for MacStrength FL expands beyond its walls.

“Build a place that these kids can be able to come to, multi sport, long term, where they have an area where they can grow mentally, physically, emotionally,” Telesz said.

Because that’s what Cornell and Telesz remember set them up for success, and now it’s their turn to share those tools with the next generation.

“I want them to be extremely knowledgeable and be able to talk about how they’re feeling when they’re moving their body because if they have awareness of that, especially at a young age, they have so many years to build a foundation on not having to rely on other people,” Cornell said.

In 2025, they’re swinging for success with their current players and for a wider reach in their community.