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Twins hold Little League baseball clinic

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Sophia Mathewson, 12, works on her fastball during a baseball clinic at Donaldson Park on Saturday. CHARLES?BALLARO
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Twins hitting instructor John Wilkins explains hitting to the kids during a baseball clinic at Donaldson Park on Saturday. CHARLES?BALLARO
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T.C. Carter, 10 swings the bat during a baseball clinic at Donaldson Park on Saturday. CHARLES?BALLARO
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Logan Hawkins, 6, makes a running catch in a fielding drill during a baseball clinic at Donaldson Park on Saturday. CHARLES?BALLARO

Every year, the Minnesota Twins organization holds a series of clinics throughout Southwest Florida for young players with the help of players and coaches throughout the team’s development system.

Saturday, it was Donaldson Park’s turn to host as nearly 70 kids showed up to learn pitching, hitting and fielding from the pros as the Twins hosted its only clinic in the North Fort Myers area.

It was the first time in several years the team returned to this park, so everyone was happy for the Twins’ return.

“In Southwest Florida, it’s not only important for us to be in the community, but getting the youth to enjoy the game,” Mark Weber, manager of Florida business operations. “We not only enjoy getting into the community, but also that kids get exposed to all aspects of the game.”

Hancock coach Jason Hause had a connection with the Fort Myers Miracle, the Twins’ Minor League team, which helped make it happen. He said the children got a lot out of what the pros taught them.

“A lot of kids spent a lot of time here and play year round. We’re a smaller league, so we put in lots of time with these kids,” Hause said. “They’re not only learning baseball, but how to become good young men.”

The children were broken up in three groups, according to age, and sent to three stations for hitting, fielding and pitching, each of which we led by a coach and player.

Among those to help the young ballplayers was Tommy Watkins, a Fort Myers native who now coaches with the Twins farm team in Cedar Rapids. He put the kids in the field, working on ground balls and pop-ups.

“It’s always fun to get into the community, especially for baseball, since that’s what we do,” Watkins said. “The young kids expect the ball to come to the glove instead of going to catch it. I try to make them an athlete and get them to run around a bit.”

Stu Kliburn, a former Major Leaguer now pitching coach for the Twins’ farm team in Chattanooga, Tenn., said he hope the kids would learn a couple things from the pros.

“It’s all about the kids. We appreciate the parents bringing them out. If these kids can pick up a few pointers on each station and take it home with them, that’s what this is about,” Kliburn said.

Kliburn turned his station into a game, having kids pitch into the backstop, earning (or losing) points if the ball got stuck and put it in the strike zone and throwing from the mound where they had to throw a strike a field a ground ball or do push-ups.

The hitting station was more business as the kids hit wiffle balls tossed to them by coaches, making sure they used proper form.

In the end, the children learned a lot about all aspects of the game. Sophia Mathewson, 12, said she had fun and learned more about pitching and fielding.

“I learned to change my grip for pitching the fastball. I was gripping it wrong so I wasn’t as accurate,” Mathewson said. “I’ll be ready to play this season.”

“The clinic was fun. I liked the pitching and fielding. I learned the keep my elbow down when hitting and how to pitch correctly,” said Skylar Pellerito, who was then coaxed by league president Brian Porvaznik to joke. “They know a whole lot more than my coach does. I hope he reads it.”