The morning summer sun beat down on the freshly groomed field of the Shark Tank Sunday as current and former Martha’s Vineyard Sharks players and coaches led a group of kids through batting practice and fielding drills.
It was the Sharks’ first drop-in youth baseball clinic of the summer.
Divided into younger and older age groups, clinic-goers wearing the jerseys of their favorite ballplayers had a chance to corral fly balls, practice relay throws and take batting practice. Kids got pointers on their fielding fundamentals, batting techniques and pitching mechanics from the same players they have cheered wildly for in summers past.
“It’s good, the kids enjoy it. You can tell they really haven’t been able to get outside much in the last couple months so it’s good to get everyone out and have some fun,” said Nick Raposo, a Sharks alumnus who recently signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.
“It’s fun just coming out here, I haven’t been on the field in a long time so it’s nice being out here,” said Jack Roberts, also a Sharks alum and Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School graduate.
This summer there will be no games at the field; the New England Collegiate Baseball League made the decision to cancel the 2020 season in May due to the coronavirus pandemic. But starting July 6, drop-in clinics and private lessons with Sharks players and coaches will be available for kids ages 6 to 16, as they have been in previous summers.
Masks and social distancing rules will be practiced, along with baseball fundamentals.
Harrison Chance, a middle schooler from Washington D.C. who has been a regular at the clinics for four summers, was happy to be back on the field. “You come out here and have so much fun. We just relax, work on our skills, have fun, play games . . . you actually get better,” he said.
Hunter Bolduc, a middle schooler at the Oak Bluffs School, agreed. “You’re not just throwing the ball around and doing stretches,” he said.
Bolduc and Chance said one of their favorite things about coming to the Sharks clinics is getting to play on the field where they watched the home team journey to the NECBL championship last summer.
“It’s one of the best parts,” said Chance.
Sharks general manager Russ Curran said he’s thankful to have current and former players and coaches on hand to help run the clinics despite the canceled season this summer.
When the clinic wrapped up at noontime, the kids pulled down their masks to reveal ear-to-ear smiles as they met up with their parents. Some sprayed their faces with cold water from their water bottles as they walked off the field.
“It was a great day, a little hot though,” Mr. Curran said.
Drop-in clinics will run Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to noon every week in July through August 13. Parents can register for a day pass for $50, four passes for $150 or eight passes for $300. Private one-hour lessons are available for $65 each or in a package of five for $300. For information, email Russ.curran@mvsharks.com
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