Dempsey dialing up a winner in 724 Baseball
The 724 area code was implemented nearly 30 years ago as an overlay complex with 412, which provided a change in telephone dialing.
Chances are Caleb Dempsey, who graduated from Albert Gallatin in 2015, wasn’t aware as his parents adjusted to 10-digit dialing, but it has helped when he needed to create a name for his baseball training and performance center in Oliver.
“I started this in October of 2024 and I knew I had to come up with a name,” Dempsey said. “I sat with my wife one night and thought about what I should call this. I wanted to name it something that represented the community, and with most area codes around here being 724, that is what I came up with. We have an outline of the state of Pennsylvania and 724 visible for our logo. We made some tweaks here and there, but that has been the design.”
Before he had a name, Dempsey’s idea was to create a training center for young baseball players in the area.
“I started this on my own,” Dempsey said. “I always wanted to do something like this, and I was being asked more and more to get involved with the youth leagues. I wanted to teach our youth players the right habits and mindset that comes with baseball because you will have times where you fail, but it is about how you handle that failure.”
Dempsey had a plan when he started 724 Baseball, but he needed a facility, which prompted him to contact Becky and Mike Howell of Fayette Ball Academy.
“I owe so much to Mike and Becky Hall at Fayette Ball Academy,” Dempsey said. “They let me use their facility for lessons, and they have let Zach Uhazie and Noah Mildren in as well. That is so important because there wouldn’t be a facility for 724 Baseball if they didn’t let me operate at theirs.”
Dempsey, who shared Herald-Standard player-of-the-year honors with Brownsville’s Shane Roebuck as a senior, was recruited by La Roche College (now La Roche University) and began his freshman season with the Redhawks prior to transferring to PennWest California.
Despite moving to another college, Dempsey and Roebuck became close. Dempsey admitted to not being prepared for college baseball.
“I was not prepared for the workload, and I just put so much pressure on myself,” Dempsey said. “It almost became more of a job, which it is, but you also have to enjoy playing and have fun with it.”
Dempsey enjoyed his time at California, and despite not playing for the Vulcans at the varsity level, he was a member of the club baseball squad that qualified for the College World Series in Kansas.
“When I played for the club team, that mental pressure wasn’t there, so I could just go out, play ball and have fun again,” Dempsey said. “We played a lot of big schools at the club World Series. There is great baseball, and it was an honor to play in that event.”
As 724 Baseball continued to grow, Dempsey needed some reinforcements, as he was able to bring Uhazie abroad and his pitching coach. Mildren, who Dempsey coached during his time in high school at Albert Gallatin and in American Legion Baseball, has also joined the team after spending this past spring as a graduate assistant coach at West Liberty University.
“About a year and change after I started this, everyone was asking me for a pitching coach, and I reached out to Zach Uhazie,” said Dempsey. “I knew what kind of player he was. I played with and against him, and I knew he had what it took to coach these kids, especially at a young age. We want them to be serious, but we also want to have some fun because that’s really what baseball is about.
“I reached out to Noah Mildren because I have coached him. He was a great player, but also a great person and coach. It was all me until Zach came along, and I can ease back on my own if I need to.”
Scott Fichter works with the players on speed and agility, and also serves as administrator for the Stallions Baseball Club travel team, which comes from 724 Baseball.
“We want to prepare these kids to be able to handle whatever life throws at them, and it goes beyond baseball,” Dempsey said. “I have been blessed to be able to work with some very special people, and I believe we have just scratched the surface.”
Dempsey advises anyone who is interested in 724 Baseball to explore its Facebook and Instagram accounts. The website is 724baseball.com which encompasses the baseball hub’s services.