BE A Lion

Pick a side you wish to live on and

Goals

The goal of KMS Baseball is to educate parents and to provide high quality instruction to area youth in hopes of creating positive habits and a deeper understanding of every facet of the game. KMS Baseball will offer instruction through clinics, camps, travel teams, and educational seminars throughout the Tri-State area.

"The Barn"

"The Barn” is a place where dreams don’t work unless you do. It’s a place where the integrity of the game, and of those who play it, is the highest standard. “The Barn” was born from one boys dream as well as his tragedy. In 1995, Mark Shives returned home from playing in the Cape Cod League and was preparing to leave for Florida International University. On the day Mark was to leave for Florida to begin his college career at FIU his dad was tragically killed in a work-related accident. Two days after burying his father, Mark left for Florida. He decided then to honor his dad by playing every game and at every practice with his dad’s initials written on the inside of his hat. Keith had always asked his son to play as hard as humanly possible regardless of whether he was in a game or at practice. That is the same lesson Mark wanted to hand down to others. He realized generations may come and go but hard work and dedication is a trait that should be handed down. In 2002, Mark returned home to run a baseball camp for local youth. His goal was to pass on a work ethic he received from his father; Keith Mark Shives. Mark used his dad’s initials, KMS, for the youth camp. That is when the idea of “The Barn” was conceived. Now, 14 years later, other young boys come to “The Barn” to train. Each young man dreams of their names being written on Mark’s draft board, but they are encouraged that if they want something they never had, then they have to do something they’ve never done; work hard. And when they think they’ve done so, work harder!

Keith MArk Shives

Coach Mark Shives

Coach Shives is a scout with the Kansas City Royals and has had great success as the head baseball coach at Clear Spring High School (MD). Under his guidance, Clear Spring has been one of the most successful programs in Washington County. Coach Shives has produced several collegiate players from Clear Spring including Brandon Glazer (College of Charleston) and Jordan Thurber (Hagerstown Community College). For his efforts, Coach Shives was named Herald-Mail and Washington County Coach of the Year in 2008. In 2010, he led Clear Spring to the 1A State Championship Game, losing to St. Michael’s with Adam Parks on the mound. Shives has also been a member of the Team USA coaching staff for 4 years, serving as pitching coach for the 15U and 16U national teams. Coach Shives played at Florida International University, then professionally for the Kalamazoo Kodiaks of the Frontier League. After posting a 3.86 ERA in his brief professional career, Shives returned to Florida International University as an assistant coach for three seasons. During his tenure, from 2000-2002, Florida International went 126-61 making three NCAA Regional appearances and one NCAA Super Regional appearance. Coach Shives teaches Elementary Physical Education in Washington County, MD. In addition to teaching and coaching, Shives has provided private pitching lessons for some of the area’s top prospects including recent draft picks Branden Kline (’09 – 6th rd., ’12 – 4th rd.), Brandon Glazer (’10 – 24th rd.), Brandon King (’09 – 27th rd.), TJ Hose (’08 – 36th rd.), and Josh Conway (’09 – 42nd rd., ’12 2nd rd.).