USA – Veteran USA Baseball Hitting Coach and former big leaguer Reggie Smith will help lead the USA Baseball 2009 Athlete Prospect Camp in Peoria, Arizona from June 16-18, 2009.

Smith will be assisting 2009 16U National Team Coach, George Sanchez at the Athlete Development Camp. Sanchez, who has coached for USA Baseball before, will look to Smith to bring a wealth of information and techniques to the participants based on his Major League coaching and playing experience.

After finishing his playing career in 1982 Smith spent the next 16 years serving as a minor league instructor, player development official and assistant coach, including working under Tommy Lasorda and the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1994-98.

Smith would join the USA Baseball coaching ranks as a hitting coach in 1999 for the silver medal winning Pan American Games team in Canada. Since then, Smith has served on numerous other USA Baseball coaching staffs:

Smith owns and operates the Reggie Smith Baseball Centers in Los Angeles and the Lakeland Baseball Academy in Florida. Smith has been with USA Baseball since 1999, serving as a hitting coach on the following professional teams:

1999 – Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada (silver, Olympic qualifier)
2000 – Sydney Olympic Games (gold)
2005 – CONCEBE Regional Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Phoenix, Ariz. (gold)
2006 – World Baseball Classic (6th)
2006 – Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Cuba (gold)
2007 – IBAF Baseball World Cup in Taiwan (gold)
2008 – Beijing Olympic Games (bronze)
2009 – World Baseball Classic (4th)

Not only a prolific coach, Smith had a solid professional career as well. With a career .287 average, 314 home runs and 1,092 RBI, he made four World Series appearances including winning in 1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Held at the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariner’s Spring Training Complex, the Athlete Prospect Camp will focus on the advanced high school player (rising 9th-12th grader) looking to play at the collegiate or pro level. Campers will learn the USA Baseball philosophy and National Team routines through instruction on advanced hitting mechanics, individual positional defensive techniques, in-game situations and baseball-specific fitness training.

Photo: BrianFlemingPhotography.com

Courtesy of USA Baseball

Tags: Camps, USA Baseball