Small Town, Big League Experience
The arrival of fall doesn’t mean your kids’ baseball glove has to sit around gathering dust. The Spa City Stallions are hosting tryouts for 11 to 13-year-olds who want year-round training.
MAJOR LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
The Spa City Stallions are being headed up by the Harrington family – a family with Major League experience.
“With the Harringtons being a baseball family and having the experience that we do, we bring a more functional approach to baseball. Kids haven’t been learning the skills to help them move forward and it’s a rude awakening for them when they go out on a full-sized field,” said TJ Harrington.
TJ’s dad, Tim Harrington, has been a scout for the Boston Red Sox for 21 years and spent 14 years as Glens Falls High School’s varsity baseball coach. TJ was a 1994 San Diego Padres draft pick and served nine years as a strength and conditioning coach for the LA Angels. His nephew, Mike, who played for the Cortland Red Dragons, has earned a number of awards including being named the 2018 D3 Pitcher of the Year.
This was the first year for their Spa City Stallions team, comprised of players from South Glens Falls, Queensbury and Saratoga. Even with all of the hurdles that youth sports had to jump over because of the pandemic, they played a great six weeks of games this season.
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A NEW BRAND OF BASEBALL
Even if you didn’t know anything about their combined Major League experience, one look at the new, private Spa City Stallions field in Greenfield Center can tell you that these guys take baseball seriously. All aspects of the game are covered and player skills honed in an environment where no shortcuts have been taken.
The Spa City Stallions fall developmental sessions will be followed-up by indoor strength and conditioning training at the Chase Sports Complex in South Glens Falls before going back out on the field for Spring training and out on the road for summer games as members of the Eastern New York Travel Baseball (ENYTB) league.
To accommodate a variety of student schedules, TJ is committed to maintaining flexibility with the Stallions’ training times. During the 1½ to 2-hour sessions, they’ll be hitting balls in the batting cages, utilizing computer-aided pitching analysis, building strength and endurance with exercises, weights and hurdles. As a small private group, they personally ensure that all the safety protocols the state has put in place are being adhered to, he said.
“We’re a one-stop shop for baseball,” said Harrington.
The Spa City Stallions player costs and fees are comparable to other ENYTB teams. Free tryouts are being held on Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23 at 55 Wilton Rd., Greenfield Center. Players are asked to bring standard baseball equipment and answer basic medical questions at registration. Tryouts for kids age 11 are at 10 a.m., age 12 at 12 p.m. and age 13 at 2 p.m. A second round of tryouts will be Aug. 29 and 30. For more information, find them on Facebook @spacitystallionsbaseball