Youth Baseball Clinic Starts New Era for Blue Devils

The John Romano Era of the Huntington High School baseball program kicked off last summer and the Southdown Primary School physical education teacher was approved as the Blue Devil varsity coach. Intramural workouts were have been held ever since. A winter clinic brought district youngsters as young as second grade into the gym to work with coaches and high school players.

Separate clinic sessions were held on Sunday mornings from those in grades 2-5 and 6-8. Romano has taken a long-term approach to developing a strong baseball program in Huntington UFSD on all three levels; middle school, JV and varsity.

“We had about 50 kids participate weekly,” said Romano about the winter clinic. “This is just the beginning stages of rebuilding this program. It all starts with getting the younger players developed and having them buy into what we’re teaching. Our varsity guys did a great job in teaching and helping these kids develop and improve on their baseball skills; they were really involved in success of this clinic.”

Fourteen sixth graders participated, making that the largest of any grade. The basics of fielding, infield and outfield were covered along with using different fielding aides and drills that the players loved.

“An indoor pitching mound was also used during a few sessions to allow the players to showcase their pitching talents,” Romano said. “Most importantly, during the hitting stations we emphasized the correct hitting form and bat paths to help the players understand how to hit properly. We also spoke with the older group about understanding what it means to have a good hitting approach at the plate.”

This was also a good opportunity for the coaching staff to see some of the players who could be playing high school ball within the next few years.

“This is just the beginning of a bright future for Huntington baseball,” said Nick Matarazzo, who was named the JV head coach.

While specific dates have not yet been determined, Romano and varsity team members will be hosting a summer baseball camp sponsored by the Huntington Booster Club. “So stay tuned to that information in the future,” he said.