Warrior Baseball Clinic Closes Home-Run Week [VIDEO]

Seekonk Warrior baseball held its first annual baseball clinic this week at Seekonk High School. Players ages 9 through 12 came to the fields to learn from varsity baseball coach Joe Demelo and his coaching staff. In this case, the players Demelo is usual instructing, the varsity team, joined the staff for a week.

"I don't remember any camps around," said Jake Silva, varsity first baseman for Seekonk and a likely candidate for captain next season. Since this was the first annual clinic, none of the current varsity players took part when they were Little Leaguers.

"We kind of had to go out of our way. We went to Ken Ryan's when it opened, we had to really look around for something like this," said Branden George, who also could not recall any sort of baseball instruction from High School coaches.

Players worked on their mechanics in the areas of hitting, fielding and pitching. But they also learned strategy and took part in drills aimed at honing certain skills and physical attributes needed for each position.

Coaching staff and players alike also took part in the most important part of the game, having fun and making friends. Although some had only just met each other four days prior, by Thursday, everyone was laughing and joking. Nearly every player seemed to have a nickname by the end of camp.

At the end of Thursday's session, the last day of camp, the teams were sorted into two teams to play their last scrimmage game. Team Dubs and Team Chicken legs (named after their captains) played a few innings of real baseball at the end of the day.

As camp broke that afternoon, varsity players talked about what a success the week had been. There was talk that next year the fourty-some participants would double. "[Branden] George wants to put up signs on route six," coach Demelo joked.

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