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Local Sports

Local sports in the Panhandle are not just a game, they are a lifestyle. Our community eats, sleeps and breathes cheering on our local athletes.
News13 is On Your “Sidelines” bringing you more than the score.
News13’s Stephen Gunter is committed to giving you stories of the Panhandle’s top athletes, intriguing match-ups and unusual sports you may not even know exist.
sgunter@wmbb.com

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Baseball is Still a Hit

PANAMA CITY- The Colorado Rockies are waiting for their opponent in the World Series, and after that, baseball will be finished, but some kids here in Bay County just haven’t gotten enough of baseball yet.

The Renegade Sports Complex has an eight week hitting clinic in full swing.

Kids from ages eight through seventeen are trying to improve on there game from some college coaches and players.

“It’s been a tremendous influence on fundamentals and just on instruction and it’s really been a good deal.  We’ve had a bunch of kids come through and we’re seeing great improvement,” said instructor Mike Kandler.

That improvement is just what these kids are looking for.

“It’s teaching me how to hit. The drills that we do, we have worked on our lower body and upper body and hitting all together pretty much,” said participant Zach Allen.

“It’s fun. I’ve learned a lot of new stuff. I’ve learned that I need to count three seconds after I swing so I can keep my balance,” said participant Jay Smith.

“It helps you learn how to swing better and teaches you how to keep your shoulders in and keep your head in and hit it hard,” said participant Tristen Ragen.

With the age range being so wide, you would think that it would be difficult to teach different aspects of hitting, but age range does not propose a problem.

“Obviously a 17-year-old is going to be capable to do more than an eight year old is. The fundamentals of the game never change. What we do, with the younger kids, it’s more broad based, and with the older kids you’re getting to more of the fine points.  They can all work in here at the same times and it has worked really well,” said Kandler.

Even though baseball can be considered out of season right now, getting year-round instruction can be beneficial.

“I think if you’re really going to be a good hitter particularly, it’s got to be something you do on almost a year-round basis. We’re in Florida, we’ve got great weather and you can play baseball year-round,” said Kandler.

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