Winter Baseball: FLALL Starts Another Year of Offseason Clinics

The (FLALL) began holding its winter baseball clinics last week at the . Peewees—ages eight and under and/or playing baseball for the first time—Minors starting at age eight-and-a-half and Majors starting at age 10-and-a-half began several weeks of learning and practicing the basics and fundamental skills of the game during the winter months.

“Fundamentals about proper throwing and catching start at the pee wee level; baseball is the most complicated sport for their age level,” said FLALL secretary and clinic coordinator Tracy Mattei. “The kids need to learn the fundamentals and the coordinated hand-eye, foot-eye, fine motor skills and gross motor skills all with one game.”

Mattei, who was joined by coaches Joani and Mark Kopczynski and her son William M. Mattei Jr. at the Peewee clinic Wednesday afternoon, said 40 to 50 boys and girls are participating in the clinics this year across the three age groups. Full- and part-time coaches lead the players in roughly 45-minute fielding and throwing drills on Wednesdays and batting sessions on Sundays for about the next 10 weeks.

“The more repetitions the player gets, the more prepared they will be to start the season,” said longtime coach William Mattei Sr. “Like practicing spelling words or math equations, the more you do, the better you are.”

Tracy Mattei—or “Mrs. Coach,” as she’s often known to the ballplayers—said having her older son help out with the Peewee clinic is a way to instill a sense of the importance of community service, “no matter how young.”

“Learning about community service and extending oneself for the benefit of others is a life lesson we want our kids to have, especially when you have something of value to offer,” she said. “We believe in community service, helping others and being productive, positive citizens. He also had a lot of fun playing with the younger kids, and the younger kids had fun too, so it’s a win, win.”

Plus, Mattei said, she has another coach.