The smiles were wide and the enthusiasm was plentiful at the annual Day with the Braves.
More than 80 young baseball players joined the Red Deer Midget AAA Braves at Great Chief Park to learn about the game and work on their skills.
Zach Baker, 19, in his fourth season with the Midget AAA Braves said it’s always a special experience to pass on his knowledge to the next generation of players.
“It’s awesome, it’s good to see the kids having fun, it’s what you like as a baseball player, teaching kids all the skills of the game, it’s a good time,” Baker said.
“All the guys are enjoying themselves (too) and hopefully we can all be coaches one day.”
The young players worked on pitching, hitting and fielding with the AAA Braves throughout the day but the most important part according to Baker is making sure everyone is having a good time.
“Try and enjoy the day, because baseball is a really fun sport. When you get experiences like this, it’s really good and it really makes you enjoy baseball,” he said.
Typically, the camp attracts between 60-65 players between the ages of 7-15 but this year, Braves coach Randy Gehring noted they had over 80.
Red Deer is currently 7-4 in the Norwest Baseball League and finished the tiering part of their schedule and will play in Tier I for the remainder of the year. Red Deer will host the Western Canadian 18U Baseball Championships from August 15-18.
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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