HiCast Sports Network Debuts New Mobile Livestream Solution for UA Next Prospect Tour Events Powered by Baseball Factory

HiCast Sports Network deployed its new mobile livestream solution, blending plug-and-play, cellular-powered video cameras with its professional-grade video streaming platform for the first time at select UA Next Prospect Tour Powered by Baseball Factory events at JetBlue Park at Fenway South (Aug. 1-3) and The Ripken Experience Myrtle Beach (Aug. 15-17). The Ripken Experience Myrtle Beach already has HiCast’s permanent system installed, and additional views for batter close-ups were added showcasing the new plug-and-play mobile cameras for this event.  

This marks a pivotal milestone for the company, as the demand for high-quality, accessible event footage for scouting and player development continues to grow. HiCast’s new solution makes it possible to capture youth and amateur sporting events at any location; rugged, weather-proof, and portable. HiCast pre-programs cameras so they can be easily set up on tripods or mounted to poles for an event and taken down easily for setup at the next event location.

“While we successfully partner with more than 35 youth sports venues across the US, providing fixed installations of our video network and coverage for all of their events, we’re excited to expand our offering to meet the needs of tournament organizers, leagues and colleges who need quality livestream and VOD coverage for their events at a variety of locations,” Stephanie Calabrese, HiCast Sports Network Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer said. “This makes youth sporting event coverage accessible anywhere it’s needed and provides our partners with opportunities for growth through revenue share from subscription sales and advertising.”

HiCast also supports the Baseball Factory and Ripken Baseball with delivery of digital video ads promoting the UA Next Prospect Tour across Ripken Baseball venues covered in the HiCast Sports Network. This cross-marketing approach fuels player nominations and event visibility, helping athletes and their families discover new opportunities for development and exposure. 

“HiCast live video coverage at our events has enhanced the experience for these athletes, their parents, coaches and our staff as we focus on the development and exposure of these top-tier players,” said Steve Bernhardt, Baseball Factory Vice President of Baseball Operations. “HiCast has provided high-quality video with no stress on our staff, allowing participants and staff to share highlights immediately with coaches and scouts.”

The HiCast mobile livestream solution also delivers reliable video coverage for venues and fields with limited or no wired internet access. This technology will expand HiCast’s coverage of the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach to include off-site fields for the upcoming Labor Day Beach Bash baseball tournament. HiCast continues to build partnerships with venues, tournament organizers, leagues, and colleges nationwide.

See a live demonstration at ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) January 8-11, 2026 in Columbus, OH or online.

Remote Viewing Surges for Youth Ballparks During Covid-19 Global Pandemic

When America’s favorite pastime was indefinitely paused at the start of Spring season in March, it changed everything for youth athletes and families across the country. Tournaments were cancelled. Venues closed their gates. By the end of June, the majority of ballparks in the HiCast Sports Network across nine states established return-to-play polices and welcomed teams back on their fields, but limited spectators in the stands and encouraged family members and fans to watch from home thanks to an automated video coverage solution provided by the HiCast Sports Network, a game-changing, subscription-based social broadcast company which allows youth athletes, coaches, families and fans to view live sporting events at top ballparks across the nation anywhere, anytime, on any device.

Todd Yancey, General Manager for Elizabethtown Sports Park in Kentucky, shares, “We had to go back to the drawing board like so many other people in terms of our operations. We were able to launch some of our baseball season. Our bleachers are closed, and spectators have to bring their own chairs and social distance around the diamonds. Now that we have HiCast in place, we’re excited to share the best view behind home plate with fans here at the park and watching from home.”

Field at Elizabethtown Sports Park in Elizabethtown, KY. Now during Covid-19 pandemic, bleachers are closed to spectators, but they can bring their own chairs and social distance along the fence line. Having the HiCast Sports app in hand, all fans can get a view behind the plate.

Co-founder and Chief Brand Officer for HiCast Sports Network, Stephanie Calabrese shares, “We’ve seen a rapid surge in viewership. Looking at 2020 vs 2019 game minutes viewed across our network, we saw a 20% increase in July and more than 100% increase in August. While our coverage has been a nice-to-have amenity for our ballpark partners, it’s now become a necessity. Fans expect to have remote game access and we’ve proven our ability to provide reliable video coverage for ballparks over the past several years. We’re poised to grow.”

The HiCast Sports Network was founded by two creative-minded parents and entrepreneurs, Robert Stribling and Stephanie Calabrese, located just outside the metro Atlanta area. Inspired to cover and preserve the moments that matter for their own young athletes, they teamed up with friends and family to invest in product development, acquired U.S. utility patents, and have steadily grown their network and user base to cover more than 100 ballfields and about 300,000 ballplayers across 11 states. They’ve finalized agreements with two more venues in Michigan and Colorado for installation prior to the start of spring season 2021 and expect more to follow as demand for their coverage increases.  

While parents and grandparents appreciate the ability to watch games live from home, their use often follows the lead of their players who use the HiCast Sports mobile app to watch their games back on-demand and save their favorite plays or hits from the game in the form of clips and highlight reels. HiCast subscriber and baseball dad Carlos Tariche’s son Tommy, a senior in high school who plays varsity and travel ball aspires to play for a D2 or D3 college, discovered HiCast initially. Carlos shares, “Tommy told me about the HiCast Sports app. When I took a look, I couldn’t believe how easy it was to figure out. I had a situation where I was working and my son had a game during the week, so I was able to air-play it to my Apple TV and watch the game. The quality was amazing. I’ve actually used some of those highlights to send to a couple of college coaches who were looking for film of him. It’s a valuable tool. We play in so many different places, it makes me wish that more venues had it.”

Bases loaded and a solid DP here. 3rd baseman Tommy Tariche to catcher Patrick Bartoletta to Christian DeRisi at 1st for Batting 1000 Seminoles 17/18U on 9/1/20 at Baseball Heaven. Shared by HiCast User and proud dad, Carlos Tariche.

While NCAA Division 1 coaches remain in their extended dead period for in-person recruiting through Jan 1, 2021, nearly 100 colleges from across the country including Columbia University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, and Yale University tuned in to watch players at Diamond Nation in New Jersey using the HiCast Sports Network. Diamond Nation General Manager Nick Massari shares, “We knew we had to do something to make sure kids playing in our tournaments had the best opportunity available for exposure. We created virtual roster packets for ten of our events this summer, and emailed them out with game schedules to our scouting list which includes coaches from colleges nationwide (mostly Division 1 schools) and all of the professional baseball teams to let them know we were streaming our games live and on-demand.”

At the ballpark, Diamond Nation shares listing of college and pro scouts watching players on-site and online through the HiCast Sports Network. Photo courtesy of Diamond Nation

Former professional ballplayer, Coach David Whigham, founder and owner of travel ball organization Delmarva Aces comprised of 42 teams across three states, and associate scout for the Baltimore Orioles, uses HiCast to support his players. He’s helped secure 99 college commits from his Aces program since 2016. David shares, “Because of my communications background, we do a lot with social media and video. For our kids, having social media followers watching their home run videos mean so much to them. You’d be surprised how many kids save those videos and will keep them forever to relive moments like that. The way everything is going, venues are going to rely on HiCast Sports even more than ever to try to capture the moments.”

Atlanta Tech Edge to Feature HiCast Sports Network

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We’re pretty darn fired-up to be featured on 11Alive's Atlanta Tech Edge with host Cara Kneer this Sunday, July 1 at 1:30am and 11:30am ET and online. Co-founder and chief brand officer, Stephanie Calabrese, will be rep’ing HiCast and joined by other leading women in tech in this episode. Hope you join us!