Baseball Ontario hosted a girls baseball clinic at Barrie Minor Baseball's practice facility at The Warehouse on Truman Road on Saturday.
The clinic was designed for girls aged 8 to 16 with no baseball experience required.
The focus of the event was the introduction of the proper ways of hitting, throwing, catching and base-running.
One of Canada’s most successful coaches, Sean O’Brien, was on hand to help start the youngsters down a path to playing baseball.
Milton’s Lisa Turbitt, a trailblazing international umpire, fresh off the World Baseball Classic, a tournament where Major League Baseball stars such as superstar Shohei Ohtani played, was also there to lend a hand introducing girls to the sport.
“We didn’t have these clinics when we were growing up,” Turbitt told BarrieToday.
“To have these opportunities for girls to learn in an environment where all the others are like them, is super cool,” she said.
“Some of our (coaching and umpiring) resumes are meant to inspire them, but I feel like they are inspiring us, with them demanding to be noticed and wanting to be a part of it.”
Thirteen-year-old Paizleigh Mckinley, of Barrie, who took part in the clinic last year as a student of the game, has since then made the under-16 Team Ontario girls team, and joined the coaching staff this time around at this event.
“I liked being here last year. I learned the bare mechanics (of the game),” she said. “I hope I can go really far in baseball. My dream has always been to make it to the Major Leagues, but a goal is to make the national championships.”
The sky is the limit for these girls.
As it should be.
