Coach Brian Burke '90 demonstrates proper infielding technique
On Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11, 60 local youth baseball players attended The Hill School's inaugural Hill Baseball Skills Clinic in Mercer Fieldhouse. Six alumni with successful baseball backgrounds (four of whom have played and/or worked at the professional level) joined Hill’s current coaching staff of head coach Chris Drowne ’89 and assistants Chris Threadgill ’02, Matt Gettings, and Bowen Borgeson for the five-hour clinic that was held over two days. The alumni instructors included:
· Tom Walter ’87, head coach at Wake Forest University
· Fritz Hamburg ’84, head coach at St. Joseph’s University
· Phil Newman ’00, assistant coach at Johns Hopkins University
· Brian Burke ’90, former head coach at Eastern University
· Dave Willman ’88, former Southeastern Conference Player of the Year at University of South Carolina
· Bake Leonards ’97, former rotation pitcher at The University of Richmond
From 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, players rotated through five stations of individual and small group instruction designed to improve player development including hitting, infield play, outfield play, bunting and base running, and pitching and catching.
“The idea for the camp was born from the excitement of the new facility being built and out of deep respect for all that (recently retired coach of 33 years) Jim ‘Doc’ Finn had meant to The Hill and its baseball alumni,” said Drowne. “Jon Dressler ’99 and Geoff Neese ’00, fellow Hill baseball alumni and members of the Advancement Office, worked incredibly hard on the fundraising campaign for the new facility and encouraged me, along with other Hill alumni now coaching at the collegiate ranks, to put the program together.”
Players were divided onto five teams based on their ages: Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Grays, and rotated throughout each station during the two days. Coach Walter addressed the players on the importance of being a good teammate and a good student. The following awards were given at the clinic's conclusion:
- David Ortiz Improvement Award
- Dustin Pedroia Effort Award
- Derek Jeter Leadership Award
- Tony Gwynn Hitting Award
- Ozzie Smith Infield Award
- Roberto Clemente Outfield Award
- Johnny Bench Catching Award
- Ricky Henderson Base Running Award
"The kids' energy, enthusiasm, and love for the game made the clinic an unqualified success!" said coach Drowne. "We're already looking forward to doing it again next year."