Baseball Youth - The Nation's Baseball Magazine for KIDS

National News: Tampa Bay Rays Host Free Coaches Clinic

January 26, 2010

Tampa Rays Clinic

Over 100 local youth coaches in Florida attended the two-hour event at Tropicana Field

On Jan. 16, the Tampa Bay Rays hosted a free Coaches Clinic as part of the team’s youth baseball training program. The “Learn How to Play the Rays Way” Coaches Clinic was held at Tropicana Field and open to all youth league coaches.

The two-hour clinic offered over 100 local youth coaches the unique opportunity to learn from a major league coaching staff. The clinic featured professional advice and instructions from members of the Tampa Bay Rays major league and minor league coaching staffs and Eckerd College Head Coach Bill Mathews.

Rays third base coach Tom Foley, pitching coach Jim Hickey and hitting coach Derek Shelton and Minor League Field Coordinator Bill Evers provided instruction to all youth league coaches. Bill Mathews is entering his 20th year as the head baseball coach at Eckerd College where he has a 100 percent four-year graduation rate and has had 18 players sign professional contracts during his career.

The clinic consisted of six stations that included pitching, hitting, fielding, catching, outfield, and sports injury prevention. The day concluded with a lecture, live demonstrations on techniques and drill and a Q&A with the Rays coaches.

In addition, representatives from St. Anthony's Sports Medicine provided tips and instructions on injury prevention.

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