GREENFIELD — Area youth baseball players had the chance to learn the game from some of the top collegiate players in the country this week. 

The Valley Blue Sox of Holyoke held a Greenfield Youth Baseball Clinic on Monday and Tuesday at Lunt Field, with 27 locals getting up-close instruction from talented players competing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The clinic was open to all boys and girls ages 6-13 and ran from 9 a.m. until noon each day. 

When Blue Sox president Matt Drury reached out to Brad Baker — Greenfield Minor League Baseball president — to see if there would be interest in having a clinic in Greenfield, Baker said he made sure it would happen as he’s seen these type of clinics dwindle in the area in recent years. 

“Matty reached out to me and told me that the Valley Blue Sox do clinics in the area,” said Baker, a 1999 first round pick of the Boston Red Sox. “He said they thought about Greenfield as a possibility and I told him absolutely. The reason is when I was a kid, there were camps everywhere, baseball camps, and that’s what we did all summer. Now it’s difficult to find them. Brattleboro just started one up this year, the Tech school did one and now we have this one. I’m hoping we can make it a four-day event next year. It’s so important for the kids.”

From completing different drills to scrimmaging, athletes who attended the two-day clinic received training and pointers from Blue Sox players on the field, as they hoped to pass down the knowledge they learned from their years on the diamond to the younger generation. 

“We did BP and did a couple drills at first,” Blue Sox pitcher Dylan Terwilliger, who plays at UMass, said. “We did infield work, outfield work. We had a home run derby. I’m a pitcher so I took some of the pitchers to do some arm stuff and got them ready. Now we’re scrimmaging and getting them in a game-like scenario. That, to me, is always the best way to get better.”

Kyle Henington — a Blue Sox outfielder who hails from Milton, Wash., and plays his college baseball at the University of South Carolina Upstate — said he enjoyed getting to work with the kids, especially as he’s spent his summer living with a host family just down the road from Lunt Field in Greenfield. 

“It was fun,” Henington said. “I enjoy spending time with the kids on the field. You can tell which kids want to get something out of this. It’s a good feeling and it really benefits the kids in the area.” 

Terwilliger, a Medford, N.J., was an easy player for the kids to identify with as he plays his college ball just down the road in Amherst.

“Going to UMass, a lot of these kids are very familiar with the school,” he said. “They admire that and I appreciate that. Being able to give some advice and baseball knowledge to them is always a good thing.” 

For Blue Sox players like Henington and Terwilliger, getting the opportunity to work with youth baseball players brought them back to the days when they were the kids at clinics, and looked up to the older players running them.

They said those past experiences made them appreciate the potential impact they might have at Lunt, and made sure to give a full effort to help all the athletes there who are looking to learn and improve. 

“It’s a weird feeling,” Henington said. “It’s full circle. As a little kid I looked up to these guys. Now, that’s us. It’s cool to be able to do that and know these kids are looking up to you and looking for you to give them pointers.” 

While baseball has many intricacies, Blue Sox players focused on teaching the basics. Terwilliger said that’s the most important thing at a young age to get on the right trajectory. 

“You just try to point them in the right direction,” Terwilliger said. “When you’re this young, it’s about getting the basics down. Not being afraid of the ball, putting your head in front of the ball, keeping your head in with your swing. Those are the tiny things that when you’re younger, you have to grow out of. It’s good pointing them in the right direction.” 

Baker said he believes practice, not games, is where players improve the most. He said getting to watch and learn from Blue Sox players is an invaluable lesson for all the athletes who attended the clinic. 

“I’m a big believer that you get better by practicing,” Baker said. “Not as much in games. Games are an opportunity to showcase what you learned but you might only get one, two, three reps in a game. Practice is where you get better.”

Henington and Terwilliger both said they saw improvement throughout the two days as the younger athletes took the lessons taught and applied them on the diamond. 

“It’s a cool feeling,” Henington said. “I like it a lot. I enjoy telling a kid something and you see it click in their head and then it works for them on the field. It’s cool to see. You’re making a difference for them in a way.” 

While the young players at the camp had a great experience, Baker said it’s just as valuable for the Blue Sox players, who got to see the impact they can have in the community. 

“It’s important for the college kids too to not forget where they came from,” Baker said. “It works for both. Before long, they’ll be [like] me coaching a kid. It happens too fast.”