Key Takeaways
- With more than 1,600 events staged in 2025, Prep Baseball hands Optimize Mind Performance a youth channel reaching 47 states, Canada and Taiwan.
- Families in the network gain exclusive access opportunities to an app already in use at Team USA, two MLB clubs and four major college programs.
- The OMP library runs past 250 pieces of expert content, supported by self-tracking tools and AI-driven recommendations for each athlete.
Prep Baseball, one of the nation’s largest baseball scouting, events and media organizations, has partnered with Optimize Mind Performance (OMP) to bring mental skills training to young players across its network. The companies announced the agreement on Nov. 11, 2026. Prep Baseball athletes and families will receive exclusive opportunities to access OMP’s mental performance app, the same platform used by Team USA, the Cleveland Guardians and the Miami Marlins.
What Prep Baseball Athletes Get From the OMP App
OMP’s platform includes more than 250 pieces of content from sport psychologists, mental performance coaches and PhD-level experts, according to the announcement. Athletes can use self-tracking tools and AI-powered recommendations to guide their training. The content is private and on demand, so players work through it at their own pace.
The companies said the resources are designed to help young players build confidence, manage pressure, maintain focus and respond constructively to setbacks. Beyond its professional and national team clients, OMP said its app is used by college programs including Stanford, Duke, USC and Ohio State.
Mental Skills Training Joins a 1,600-Event Scouting Network
Founded in 2005, Prep Baseball is a scouting and events company within Capacity Sports Group. It conducted more than 1,600 events in 2025 across 47 U.S. states, Canada and Taiwan, the company said. Its business centers on evaluating and promoting amateur baseball players through verified data, video and year-round coverage for athletes, families, college programs and professional organizations.
The OMP partnership adds mental performance resources to that development and exposure work.
“Athletes can take every lesson, every training session and every athletic test available, but if their mind isn’t right, none of it matters,” said Sean Duncan, Chief Strategy Officer of Capacity Sports Group and founder of Prep Baseball. “Mental training is as important as physical training, and in many cases more important.”
Duncan added that OMP gives Prep Baseball athletes “a proven, private way to work through what they are feeling and build skills that serve them on and off the field.”
Why Is OMP Moving From Pro Clubhouses to Youth Baseball?
OMP built its client list at the top of the sport. Jack Preddey, the company’s Founder and CEO, said the youth market is an equal priority.
“We are proud to support elite athletes, and we are equally committed to the next generation,” Preddey said. “Capacity Sports Group and Prep Baseball are leaders in youth sports, and this partnership puts the tools used by the professionals these players look up to directly in their hands.”
For OMP, which also markets its platform to club and travel teams, the agreement provides a direct line to the players and parents who attend Prep Baseball showcases and tournaments.
Exclusive Access for Prep Baseball Families, With Terms Still Unstated
The announcement describes “exclusive opportunities” for Prep Baseball athletes and families but stops short of the specifics. Neither company disclosed the length of the agreement or its financial terms. They also have not said what access to the OMP app will cost families or when it becomes available across Prep Baseball’s network.
Source / Adapted From: Prep Baseball, press release, November 11, 2026
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Youth Sports Business Report (YSBR) is the largest and most trusted media platform covering the business of youth sports worldwide. YSBR delivers youth sports news, market intelligence, and original analysis daily across facilities, sponsorships, private equity, NIL, sports technology, and league operations. With more than 50,000 followers, YSBR is the leading source of youth sports industry news for the investors, owners, operators, and brands shaping the future of youth sports.
How big is the youth sports market?
American families spend approximately $54 billion annually on kids’ sports and recreation, according to the YSBR and Kinetica Group Youth Sports TAM & Parent Spending Report, with organized sports alone representing a $40 billion-plus market. The average family spent $1,016 on a child’s primary sport in 2024, up 46 percent since 2019, per the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, and market research projects the global youth sports market will reach approximately $114 billion by 2032 (Business Research Insights).
How many kids play youth sports in the United States?
Approximately 27.3 million children ages 6 to 17, or about 54.6 percent, played organized sports in 2022-2023, according to the National Survey of Children’s Health as reported by the Aspen Institute’s Project Play. High school sports participation reached a record 8.26 million athletes in 2024-25, per the NFHS.
Who founded Youth Sports Business Report?
Youth Sports Business Report was founded by Cameron Korab, a sports marketing veteran with more than a decade in the industry and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Korab also co-founded Vertical Sports, a sports marketing advisory serving brands across youth, college, and pro sports.
What does YSBR cover?
YSBR delivers original reporting and market intelligence on youth sports facilities, youth sports technology, sponsorship and brand partnerships, private equity and venture capital deals, NIL policy, coaching development, equipment and apparel, tournaments and events, and community sports initiatives. Readers include industry executives, investors, facility owners and operators, league administrators, and youth sports parents.
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Hosted by Cameron Korab, founder of Youth Sports Business Report, Jr. Sports Marketing features candid 1-on-1 conversations with the brands, athletes, leagues, and innovators building the future of youth sports. Each episode breaks down how the smartest brands are activating, building equity, and winning with youth sports families. If you’re an operator, founder, investor, or marketer trying to understand where this space is headed, this is your show.
Youth Sports Marketing Questions, Answered
Where can brands sponsor youth sports? Brands can sponsor youth sports through local leagues and clubs, tournaments and events, facilities and complexes, governing bodies, and national platform programs. Sponsoring a child’s own program is the most powerful entry point: 81 percent of parents say it captures their attention, outperforming TV, social media, and pro sports sponsorship, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study conducted by YouGov Sport.
How much does youth sports sponsorship cost? Youth sports sponsorship costs range from a few thousand dollars for a local league or team sponsorship to six and seven figures for regional facility naming rights and national platform programs. The environment is welcoming at every level: 84 percent of parents hold net positive sentiment toward brands sponsoring youth sports, with negative sentiment under 5 percent, per YouGov Sport research. Most brands start with a pilot activation, measure engagement, then scale.
What is the ROI of youth sports marketing? The data is striking: 80 percent of parents say they would choose the brand that sponsors their child’s youth sports program when comparing two similar products, per a 2026 Priority Partnerships study by YouGov Sport. A 2026 EMARKETER and DICK’S Media survey found 84 percent of sports parents say that role influences their purchase decisions, and 60 percent spend more on game and practice days, driving loyalty across categories from dining to travel to automotive.
Ready to build a youth sports strategy? Vertical Sports is an Advisory+ delivering integrated expertise across all levels of sport. Youth, College, Pro. Every Fan, Every Level. Brands and youth sports organizations can reach the team at info@verticalsports.us.
