EM Training has emerged as the top softball-specific athletic performance training company in Southern California with EM trainers working out top athletes from teams such as the PGF National Champion OC Batbusters-Haning/Stith and US Club Rankings’ top team, the Corona Angels.

EM’s newest facility, in San Diego, is nearly 15,000 square feet in size and includes every type of explosive speed, strength and agility equipment possible to improve athletic performance.

Included in the facility is MM7, which is co-owned by three softball coaches, and provides batting cages and softball hitting, pitching and fielding lessons from some of the top instructors in the San Diego area.

MM7’s story is a poignant one and is highlighted by the first thing you see when you walk in the building: a portrait of former Oklahoma All-Big 12 outfielder Mariee Mena who was killed nearly five years ago–on October 4, 2009—when she died from injuries suffered in a motorcycle accident.

Mena helped lead Oklahoma to two Women’s College World Series appearances and was only 26 years old when the accident occurred. The MM7 name represents her name and the No. 7 she always wore.

The Sooner standout was from Escondidio, Calif. and the daughter of long-time San Diego area softball coach Adam Mena who helped star the original San Diego Renegades organization.

The passing of his doctor forced Coach Mena out of the sport for a while—it was too painful to associate with the sport his daughter excelled at—but the opportunity to become a part owner in a facility that would train the next generation of softball talent was one that he couldn’t pass up.

“Being involved here and keeping busy has been important,” he says softly. “It’s been a blessing in disguise. My wife has gone back to Oklahoma, but I still can’t—it’s too painful.”

What takes Isela Mena back to Oklahoma is the annual Mariee Mena Memorial Walk that honors the former athlete who saved the lives of others through organ donations. The two-mile walk starts at the Sooner stadium and goes to the spot near where the accident occurred.

Coach Mena says that Oklahoma Coach Patty Gasso was great to the family throughout the experience.

“Coach Gasso called and said, ‘If there’s anything I can do, let me know,”” Mena recalls. “She makes the walk and told us that Mariee was one of the fiercest competitors to ever play for her.”

This summer the coach joined another successful San Diego club organization, TNL (“The Next Level”) and partnered with two other TNL coaches, Daniel Aguirre and Joel Ladrido, to make the facility come to life.

Mena coaches one of two 18U Gold teams—the other is run by Jerry Delamater—and Aguirre coaches a 14U team and Ladrido a 12U team.

It took two months for the EM facility to be built and on September 2 it opened for the first day of training.

Over 170 players from the TNL organization train at MM7 but it’s not just softball athletes who show up—baseball, lacrosse and basketball players are also training at the new facility.

Jono Green is the Head Trainer at MM7 and has been the Manager of the EM-sponsored Sports Training Complex in Anaheim where Mike Stith trains most of his Batbuster athletes as well as other top club athletes.

Two of his Batbuster players—outfielders Natalie Peters (Michigan commit) and Fale Aviu (Oklahoma verbal)—now train at this complex and work out with Green, who’s originally from England.

On this sunny Friday afternoon, Green, who is leading the charge in hiring more EM trainers, barks out drill instructions to girls and boys doing warm-ups and strength and training exercises.

Mena is busy too, delivering pitches to a young player in one of the two batting cages. Aguirre and Ladrido are there too watching and offering instruction.

Pro athletes, including MLB players, use the facility as do younger athletes showing up for private training and athlete assessments.

There are open one-hour training sessions for all sports Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 pm and Friday from 4 to 7 pm.

Saturdays are currently used for team or group training sessions and are by appointment only.

“Right now, we leave Saturdays somewhat open,” Green says.

With a state-of-the-art facility in San Diego now, it looks like San Diego has a place where passionate softball athletes can train and aspire to reach the greatness of the facility’s namesake, Mariee Mena, who earned 13 letters in high school because of her great all-around athleticism.

Her father looks around at a dream come to life and says simply, “She would be proud of what we built here.”

For more information, go to MM7Training Center.com