On Saturday, Jul. 20, young people living at Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch enjoyed a special event with Amarillo resident and former Minor League Baseball Pitcher Mike Thompson. Thompson offered a two-day baseball clinic to Boys Ranch residents, teaching the fundamentals of hitting, fielding and pitching.

“This is a guy who really knows the game of baseball well. For some of our kids who are already well developed, this experience will fine-tune them. For the kids who want to try out baseball and start playing the game for the first time, they can start in a good spot and learn everything from someone who has all the knowledge possible,” explained Keenan Albracht, head baseball coach at Boys Ranch High School.

Albracht met Thompson, who spent three seasons in the Boston Red Sox organization, when Albracht was playing college ball in Nebraska. Each time Albracht would return to Amarillo from school, he took training from Thompson.

“He built up my confidence in my game,” Albracht said. “Confidence is such a big thing in baseball. You’ve got to believe in yourself, that you’re going to be able to hit that pitch … make that throw from short to first. And, I think Mike brings that aspect of the game to the kids here at Boys Ranch. He’s going to be able to build a confidence they’ve never had before in the sport.”

Saturday’s baseball clinic ran from 9 a.m. to noon at Roughrider Field, with a second the following day from 4 to 7 p.m.