By Rob Potter
LOCH SHELDRAKE — While Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) is currently in the midst of hosting the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament, Paul Gerry Fieldhouse has also been used this winter by the SCCC Generals’ baseball team.
The Generals have used the fieldhouse to practice inside in preparation for their season opener. The team is slated to open its 2011 season with a doubleheader on Sunday against the Manchester Community College Cougars in Manchester, Conn. Like the Generals, the Cougars are an NJCAA Div. III team.
But back on Feb. 26, the SCCC coaches and several members of the Generals team helped some younger baseball players get ready for their respective upcoming seasons.
The clinic also helped the Generals raise money for their upcoming spring training trip.
Those younger players who participated in the clinic all attend school districts here in Sullivan County. They included: Andrew Exner (Tri-Valley), Kevin Hart (Sullivan West), Sean Hart (SW), Christian Reynolds (T-V), Chris Slayter (SW), Brandon Worden (T-V) and Robert Worden (T-V).
Head Coach Ryan Snair, Assistant Coach Jared Carrier and Generals players Efrain Bautista, Jose Castellanos, Lou D’Esposito, Stephen Sunday, Jamie Walls, Bryan White and Andrew Yager guided the varsity, JV and modified players through a series of fielding, pitching and hitting drills.
In addition, the young players were timed running from home plate to first base.
“This clinic was great,” Snair said. “Because of the number of young players who attended and our instructors, the players were able to get more individual instruction than they would have at a larger event.”
Near the conclusion of the clinic, Snair served as the umpire as the group of 14 Generals and young players chose teams and then played a few innings of the National Pastime.