Clarion Area Fall Ball Going Strong (10/18/14)
(By Clarion Little League President Brian Smail)
The Clarion Baseball Board of Directors is sponsoring a fall ball program. This is the first year in recent memory that baseball has been offered at this scale to a large group of young players that love to play baseball. I am pleased to say that 90+ players signed up to our inaugural season of fall ball. We have players from Clarion, Rimersburg, Knox and St. Mary’s.
(All photos by Brian Smail) 9-10 Year Old Game
Fall ball season started around September 15th. The idea is, weather permitting, to have ball practice on Wednesday nights and every Saturday, 2 games for the 6-8 division, 2 games for the 9-10 division and 3 games for the 11-12 division. The season will last until November 1st, weather permitting.
The players have been split up into 3 age groups. Over 40 players that are 2015 ages 6-8 signed up and are coached by Rick Miller, Todd Lutz, Paul Smith, Patrick Craig, Matt Siwiecki, Coach Love and Coach Anderson.
6-8 defense
The goal for this division is to teach fundamentals and to give the players that are moving up from t-ball a chance to become familiar with the machine pitch baseball that they will be facing next year.
The 9-10 Division of players is being coached by David Smail, Bill Smith, Ryan Kemmer, Denny Alston and Chad Murray. The goal of this division is to once again sharpen fielding skills as well as help the players transition from the machine pitch to the live kid pitching that they will be facing next year. In addition, another goal that is being met is to give these players a chance to develop as pitchers.
The 11-12 Division is being coached by Eric Simko, Joel German and Clarion Little League Player Agent Tim Slaugenhop. These coaches are helping the players to continue to develop by giving them fielding and batting instruction so that the players can polish their skills.
Fun at the Ball Park
I mention all of these coaches and my most sincere apologies if I missed any names, because this Fall League could not happen without the time and wisdom that they share with the players. The parents of all of the players deserve a special thank you for allowing their children to continue to play ball. Their time and support is the life blood of Clarion Baseball. I would also like to personally thank every member of the Clarion Baseball Board for taking on the expense of sponsoring this league and it is my hope that this is the first fall season of many to follow.
(Thanks to Brian Smail for this article and photos.)