Outdoors, it’s a mite cold to be fielding hot smashes.
Let’s face it, for young ballplayers looking to get in some hitting or fielding practice, the winter months are about as inviting as Randy Johnson’s glare.
To escape this harsh reality, many area youth baseball and fastpitch softball players now have the option of simply ducking indoors.
Not to play video games, where nimble-fingered, couch-bound kids belt simulated dingers with one hand while digging into a bag of chips with the other.
We’re talking clinics, clinics and more clinics. Whether a boy or girl wants to work on hitting, defense or pitching, indoor training is readily available in Snohomish County.
"Baseball has totally changed, I didn’t have these kind of opportunities," Dan Keller said recently as he and University of Washington All-American Brent Lillibridge conducted an infield clinic for about 20 boys ages 9-18 at Maynard’s, an indoor facility near the Everett Mall. "The knowledge these kids have access to is priceless."
Increasingly, youngsters aspiring to play baseball or fastpitch softball at a more competitive level — be it select, high school or college — must continue to develop their knowledge and skills over the winter months.
"When I was a kid, it was football, basketball and baseball in season," said Keller, a 1994 graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck High School who went on to earn NCAA Division III baseball All-American honors at Eastern Oregon University in 1998. "Nowadays, they’re training athletes year-round for baseball."
As a youngster, Lillibridge, a 2002 Jackson High School graduate, played a little baseball out of season, but the setting was not as plush as aspiring stars enjoy at Maynard’s and other indoor facilities that have sprung up in recent years.
"You definitely had to get used to swinging a bat that was wet and balls that were water logged," Lillibridge said.
His father, Curt, recalled those days fondly.
"We were out freezing in the mud on the South Everett Little League fields," he said with a laugh.
By contrast, it was rather toasty at the recent infield clinic at Maynard’s.
If all you wanted for Christmas was to learn how to keep your two front teeth when a grounder takes a bad hop, the $50 cost for the two-hour clinic was money well spent.
"You’ve got an All-American college shortstop (Lillibridge), you’ve got a college coach (Keller, assistant coach at Edmonds Community College). It’s a step beyond what the parents can coach. Hopefully this will prepare them for the next level," said Jim McCarthy of Lake Stevens, whose son, J.J., 12, attended the clinic.
Keller and Lillibridge demonstrated an easy rapport with the players. Keller bent low to greet one of the younger participants with a smile and an offer of assistance.
"How ya doin’ bud?" he asked as he spread the webbing of the youngster’s mitt. "See how much ground you can cover when that glove’s wide open?"
The group of players watched and listened intently as Lillibridge crouched to field a ground ball on a short hop and quickly sprang up and forward into the optimum throwing position. "Bring it really hard … you’ve got to be fast and you’ve got to be under control" Lillibridge advised.
"See how he’s gaining ground (toward first base)?" Keller interjected. "You always want to work towards the target."
On a bench nearby, Nancy Burritt of Lynnwood dutifully finished her Christmas cards.
"I’m just multi-tasking, I’m a mom," she said as she pointed out her son Casey, 12. "He wants to be a major league third baseman when he grows up so we spend a lot of time here. There are other coaches out there that yell at kids when they make mistakes, but these guys are great."
The infield session at Maynard’s was followed by a hitting clinic taught by Keller and Bill Rife, who run one-hour clinics just about every Saturday morning through February. About 30 boys participated.
For $15 the players each got about 300 to 500 total cuts while rotating batting stations, which included hitting off a tee, soft-toss, live pitching, a pitching machine and a SwingAway. The latter device allowed batters to hit a ball attached to a bungee cord, with the ball automatically returning to the same spot.
"That’s a pretty neat little gadget and one of our more successful hitting tools," Keller said.
Rife is especially effective working with younger players.
"He knows a ton about hitting and has a lot of patience with the kids and knows how to talk to them," Keller said.
"You get your kids around them (Keller and Rife) and they will flat become great hitters," said Michael Kizer of Marysville, whose son Brandon, 14, has trained under both.
There are numerous other indoor programs available this winter in Snohomish County for baseball and softball players.
At D&L in Mukilteo, 60 members of the Shockers select baseball program, made up of players from more than a half-dozen area high schools, practice on Sundays from November through February. Coach Don Moe recently began offering pitching instruction on Wednesdays to boys 14-18 not affiliated with the Shockers organization.
"The kids we coach have a high drive and really want to play college ball," said Moe.
The Shockers have three teams (16U, 17U and 18U). Their late May through August schedule does not conflict with the high school season. Because high school teams usually start games after just a couple weeks of practice, Moe said winter workouts are especially beneficial to teen pitchers.
"It’s physically impossible to get a kid ready in just three weeks," said Moe who is certified as an instructor by the National Pitching Association, a group whose board of directors includes Randy Johnson and Nolan Ryan.
Meanwhile, 74 girls ages 8-18 have signed up for twice-a-week pitching clinics offered in Marysville and Everett by the Pacific Northwest Softball School. The clinics run for five weeks and the cost is $150 per player. The training continues through February.
"We have a lot of new kids, a lot of youngsters, but a lot of junior high and high school kids, too," said Lonnie Hicks, who conducts the clinics.
Hicks, the softball coach at Western Washington University, has trained numerous players who have gone on to play at the collegiate level. The list includes Stephanie Cochran, a 2000 Lake Stevens graduate, who plays for Montana State University; Amanda Nealer, a 2000 Jackson graduate, Florida International; and Lindsay Miller, 2003 Marysville-Pilchuck grad, who will play for Hicks at Western.
He expects the market for quality fastpitch hurlers to continue to expand. "ASA and NSA are getting bigger, bigger and bigger and the need for quality pitching is clearly seen," he said.
Similar to baseball, winter training is increasingly becoming the norm for softball players.
"To stay sharp, absolutely," Hicks said.
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