More than 150 girls who are potentially the future of Schreiber softball took part in last Saturday's 5th annual PYA Softball Saturday, a softball skills clinic for all ages at Lion's Field run by members of the Schreiber JV and varsity softball teams..
"We have one of the biggest softball programs in Nassau County," varsity coach Eric Sutz said. "The program is beneficial for not only the kids, but for the players and coaches as well."
During the clinic, the kids were broken up by age group and rotated between four stations — fielding, hitting, pitching and outfield.
"We try to involve the high school players as much as possible because they're great role models for the kids," Sutz said. "We're teaching the kids what the high school coaches are looking for."
Many if not all of the girls on the high school team participated in the Port Youth Activities (PYA) clinics when they were younger, which makes the PYA program even more relevant.
Emma Horowitz, who is one of eight seniors on the Schreiber varsity softball team, said she enjoys helping mold young atheletes. "It's fun to teach them," she said. "I remember being like them and looking up to players on the JV and varsity teams. I hope one day they remember the things I taught them today."
After a day full of softball, the girls taking part in the clinic left excited to play more.
"My favorite part was catching," third-grader Emma Stylianos said. "My favorite color is pink so I have a pink mit."
Marina Raziani added, "I love batting and one day I'm going to hit a home run."
