Two former MSU bulldogs held baseball clinic in Sturgis
Tanner Allen of the Miami Marlins and Brad Cumbest of the Colorado Rockies held a baseball clinic in Sturgis for the youth. The kids got to learn baserunning, outfielding, infielding, and even got the chance to improve their swing.
STURGIS, Miss. (WCBI)- The game of baseball is America’s favorite pastime, that is why two former Mississippi State Bulldogs who are now professional baseball players are teaching the game to the future.
“Today we are running a camp for the youth in the Starkville and Sturgis area, we are going to donate the money from this camp to the Sturgis Baptist church youth,” said Miami Marlins Outfielder Tanner Allen. “We feel like it is a great way to give back and I told someone what good is my knowledge if I do not pass it on to the next generation coming up.”
“Me and Tanner really just wanted to give back for the community and for the kids, and we really think it is important to give kids the opportunity that we had when we were young to be able to play the game at a high level,” said Colorado Rockies Outfielder Brad Cumbest.
Both Brad Cumbest of the Colorado Rockies and Tanner Allen of the Miami Marlins say this was a great way to pass their knowledge about the game down to the next generation.
“We think kids deserve an opportunity, every kid,” Cumbest said. “White, Black, poor, rich, it does not matter because we think every kid deserves a chance to come out here and learn about the game that they love and get taught at a pretty high level.”
“The mayor actually reached out to me, because we have been working with a lot of kids and she thought it would be a good idea and thank goodness we were able to get access to this field and when we got access,” Allen said. “It was a no-brainer to me because I feel like if we can help the next group in any way that we can, we will do it.”
Allen says he hopes the information sticks with the kids for a lifetime.
“If one kid were able to tell me later on in their life that they were able to learn something that I taught them, that would be plenty enough for me,” Allen said. So I’m just trying to give back to them what I know about this game.”
