Brussels Minor Ball returns with workshops from HCFL pitchers and catchers
Brussels Minor Ball kicked off its season with its annual ball clinics last week.
With the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre under construction, players, coaches and volunteers headed to the Belgrave Community Centre for some indoor training last Tuesday and Thursday night. Tuesday night’s focus was “Back to Basics”, with over 60 kids between the ages of six and 13 coming out to learn techniques and skills related to throwing, catching, hitting and base running. Many new faces were seen in the first session of Tuesday’s clinic, showing that the sport continues to grow in the community.
New this year was a pitching/catching clinic, hosted on Thursday night. The Brussels Tigers Minor Ball organization recognized that this is a skill that not all parents and coaches have, so members invited volunteers from a few of the men’s fastball teams to come and help run this evening. The group received a wonderful response from the men’s teams, having pitchers from the Walton Brewers (Scott McDonald and Adam Cronin) and Brussels Bangers (Hayden Tenpas and Brett McCutcheon), as well as a catcher from the Brussels Tigers (Andrew Baker) come out to teach our kids the mechanics of pitching and catching. Andrew McCutcheon and Bruce Johnston, parents who have worked hard with their own children who are now successful/strong pitchers, were also on hand to help out the kids.
The organization could not have run this evening without the volunteers (parents of Brussels Minor Ball), who also were on hand to catch for several of the pitchers. Thursday night offered a small, intimate setting in which experienced pitchers worked with two or three players each, giving the young players the opportunity to ask questions and have a more personalized approach to learning the skills of pitching.
The organization has received great feedback from parents, and hopes to run a similar clinic next year. Over 20 pitchers and eight catchers were in attendance.
Brussels Minor Ball gets underway this week with practices on the diamonds, with the first home game of the season on Monday, May 22 at 8:30 p.m. when the U17 boys will face Wilmot on the Optimist Park Diamond.
Be sure to mark in your calendars the annual Brussels Minor Ball Days on June 3, featuring over 12 hours of baseball, raffles and food provided by the Brussels Leo Club.