On Monday, January 18 the Goshen College Baseball program will host a youth baseball clinic with the help of Erik Kratz, a professional baseball player of 14 years.
The clinic will run from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center and will be available for participants of high-school age or younger.Kratz is a 2002 graduate of Eastern Mennonite University and is currently a member of the San Diego Padres. Kratz has proved to be a journeyman in his 14 years as a professional, playing with five different organizations and 14 different teams throughout all levels of professional baseball. Kratz has played in more than 1,000 games and won an American League Championship with the Kansas City Royals in 2014.
“It’s not every day that you can gain this level of access to a professional athlete,” said Alex Childers, Goshen College’s head baseball coach. “I think it will be something that our team and campers won’t forget.”
Camp registration information can be found online at goleafs.net or by contacting Coach Childers by phone at 574-535-7748 or email (alexbc@goshen.edu).
On Monday evening, Kratz will be speaking at a dinner hosted by Waterford Mennonite Church in Goshen. Kratz will share his story of maintaining faith throughout a long baseball career. The dinner will include a meal of Kansas City barbeque and other ballpark favorites.
To purchase dinner tickets or for further information on the event, contact the Waterford office by phone at 574-533-5642 or by email (office@waterfordchurch.org).
