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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 22, 2015)
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A9 SPORTS STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE +ermiston 11-year-old Trevor :agner spins and À res at second base during the Tri-City Dust Devils Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE Cade Smith of +ermiston rounds À rst base at Gesa Stadium as part of the Tri-City Dust Devils Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday. Tri-City Dust Devils -ust Pacchioli left and 0itch 0orales set up the inÀ elder·s drill at the Tri-City Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. CLINIC: continued from Page A8 game and be a part of it and be with all of us players,” Smith said. “It’s a good time.” Smith and France were two of 10 Dust Devils play- ers who coached children in various baseball disciplines. Two pitchers worked with campers on base-running. Two players manned a cou- ple tees behind home plate. Two more had a group at second base teaching how to take grounders and how to turn double plays. Still more were in the out¿ eld throwing À y balls, and an- other group was down the right ¿ eld line working on throwing mechanics. The two-hour clinic was action-packed with little idle time. Hermis- ton 11-year-olds Trevor Wagner, Spencer Juul and Chase Elliott said they real- ly enjoyed the pace of the clinic. “They kept everyone going,” Elliott said. “They kept us going. It wasn’t like, ‘Just stand here.’ We were always doing some- thing.” Split up into age groups, the campers rotated around the ¿ ve stations in 0 min- ute intervals. The program was designed to get as many reps as possible while still allowing for some per- sonal instruction from the players. “I’ve been involved for 14 years now doing this, we’ve kinda learned over the years that kids don’t have a ton of attention time,” President/General Manager Derrel Ebert said. “We try to keep it fun and keep it moving along.” About 30 of the 60 par- ticipants, Hermiston Parks and Rec representative Kate Greenough said, came from Hermiston or Irrigon, and, barring an unforeseen problem, Hermiston will continue to participate in the clinic. “It’s just done a really good job of bringing to- gether all the different age groups, and it’s not far from Hermiston,” she said. “It’s a nice asset that we have that a lot of communities don’t. You get to be a Mi- nor League player for two hours. That’s pretty cool for a lot of these kids.” The clinic was an expe- rience for everyone pres- ent. France said he got to act like a 1-year-old again, something he very much enjoys. For the campers, it’s a chance to play on a professional ¿ eld with professional players. The Try-City Dust Devils team is the short-season Class A af¿ liate of the San Diego Padres. For the parents, it’s a chance to reinforce the con- cepts and skills already be- ing taught by Little League coaches. “These kids know that these guys are ¿ ghting for their dream,” Chase’s fa- ther, Chris, said from the Dust Devils dugout. “So to be getting instruction from someone who’s still (playing the game), that’s not something any of us (parents and coaches) can do.” STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE Chase (lliott of +ermiston races Tri-City Dust Devils catcher $.-. .ennedy for a Á y ball during the Tri-City Dust Devils Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE +ermiston·s Chase (lliott taNes swings off the tee with Tri-City Dust Devils À rst baseman Ty France at the Tri-City Dust Devils Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. Following the Tri-City Dust Devils Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday at Gesa Stadium, the 10 Dust Devils instructors lined uS in the home À rst base dugout to sign autographs for the roughly 60 campers. STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE +ermiston·s Cade :arner waits for a throw from his partner at the Tri-City Dust Devils Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday at Gesa Stadium in Pasco. STAFF PHOTO BY SAM BARBEE More than 60 campers got personal baseball instruction from 10 Tri-City Dust Devils players at the Tri-City Dust Devils Youth Baseball Clinic on Sunday at Gesa Stadium in Pasco.