The Lakewood BlueClaws and the Jackson Baseball Academy will host their annual Coaches Clinic on Jan. 23 at FirstEnergy Park, Lakewood.
This year’s clinic features former Blue- Claws pitcher Matt Sweeney and former Atlanta Braves pitcher Kevin Barry, who are both instructors at the Jackson Baseball Academy.
“This is going to be a lot of fun for me, coming back to Lakewood,” said Sweeney. “But more importantly, the clinic is a great way for coaches to get ready for the season, whether they are coaching high school players, middle school players, or Little League players.”
Sweeney pitched eight years in the minor leagues, including parts of the 2004- 06 seasons with the BlueClaws. The Trenton native was originally selected in the 11th round of the 2001 draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Barry, who was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round in 2001, is a Rider University product who appeared in 20 games with the Braves in 2006 and 2007. He is a Princeton native.
The Jan. 23 clinic will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and feature professional instruction in the areas of hitting, pitching, fielding, practice and game strategy.
Coaches will be broken into groups and rotate from session to session for the duration of the clinic. The clinic is designed for coaches anywhere from Little League to the high school level.
Registration is $39.95 and includes instruction, lunch and BlueClaws merchandise.
Coaches can register for the clinic by calling Steve Farago at 732- 901-7000, ext 120.
The Jackson Baseball Academy is a training facility in Jackson with indoor hitting and pitching tunnels, and instruction.