For Nik Lubisich and Jace Fry, baseball has given them far more than a career. It has brought relationships, opportunities, lessons in adversity and, ultimately, a chance to give those experiences back to the next generation.
Today, that purpose comes to life at South West Athletic Center in Surprise, where they are helping young athletes develop their skills, understand the game, and learn lessons that extend beyond the baseball field.
Drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2001, Nik spent seven years in professional baseball before an arm injury ended his playing career.
“I spent two years trying to get back to where I was and ultimately the body wouldn’t cooperate,” Nik says. “So my career ended. It was crushing.”
Rather than leave baseball behind, Nik became a sports agent while continuing to coach young players. By day, he trained kids; by night, he built his agency. That eventually grew into North West Sports Management Group, which now represents 48 professional baseball clients, along with Northwest Futures Baseball Academy.
“I love coaching, I really do,” Nik says. “I love the game. I love relationships and connecting with people. That’s really my why.”
When Nik brought North West Athletic Center to Arizona for a tournament in 2017, he saw an opportunity, particularly in the West Valley.
“I have seen dads hold practices in parking lots and in parks to make sure their kids have a place to practice,” he says. “People are real, authentic, no pretentiousness. I love the people of the West Valley.”
That vision eventually led to South West Athletic Center, founded in Surprise in 2024. For Nik, however, building the right program meant surrounding young athletes with the right people.
One of the most important was Jace.
Nik first met Jace when he was 17 and later represented him throughout his professional career. Jace went on to pitch in the Major Leagues for the Chicago White Sox from 2017 to 2021. Today, he serves as director of pitching and player development at South West Athletic Center and Southwest Futures.
“We really have a deep, profound respect and love for one another,” Nik says. “There’s a loyalty that exists here that’s lifelong.”
For Jace, coaching is an opportunity to take what professional baseball taught him and pass it along to young athletes.
“I want to offer young athletes and their parents what is missing from traditional baseball training,” Jace says. “I want to offer someone who can slow the game down, really break down whether it’s mechanics or situational, teaching them the IQ of baseball.”
That means going beyond throwing harder or winning the next game. Jace wants athletes to understand the details of baseball while learning how to respond when things do not go according to plan.
He understands that lesson personally.
“One day I am pitching, next day your elbow’s blown out,” Jace says. “I didn’t dwell on it. I said, ‘I have 12 months of opportunity to get better for when I come back.’ You can always rewrite the plan or have a different route to get to the same end goal.”
Nik carries a similar philosophy into his coaching.
“Show up every day. Just commit. Just finish what you start,” he says. “Run the race as best you can, finish it. To me, that’s a life lesson that’ll take forever.”
Their approach is already making an impact. One athlete progressed from the bottom of the roster to starting every game and hitting fourth or fifth. Another young pitcher increased his velocity from 45 mph to 70 mph.
For Nik and Jace, however, success is about more than creating better baseball players. It is about helping young people learn resilience, discipline and commitment while building a community of families who believe in the process.
Jace says he is especially thankful for “the help from the dads, the ones that want to be involved and help coach.”
Nik shares that gratitude.
“I am thankful for parents that understand that we’re trying really hard to find the pursuit of perfection,” he says. “We’re in the pursuit of it, but we’re not perfect.”
He is also particularly grateful for the person helping him build it.
“I’m thankful for Jace. For making this his home,” Nik says. “This guy would work eight days a week if there were eight.”
What began as two professional baseball journeys has become an opportunity to invest in the young players coming behind them. Through South West Athletic Center, Nik and Jace are passing along the knowledge baseball gave them while teaching the next generation about hard work, adversity, and finishing what they start.
For both, it is a chance to give back to the game and the community that continues to give them so much.
“I love the game. I love relationships and connecting with people. That’s really my why.” - Nik Lubisich
“You can always rewrite the plan or have a different route to get to the same end goal.” - Jace Fry