Press Release Malta Baseball & Softball Association
Over the weekend, the Malta Baseball & Softball Association welcomed a couple of special guests to oversee our country’s baseball talent. Riccardo Messina, manager of the Paterno’ Red Sox and Franklyn Torres, pitcher of the same Red Sox held several baseball clinics for both our young talent and the seniors.
The Malta Baseball Academy, which is a baseball school for the elite and young promising players of Malta, had two sessions over Saturday and Sunday, conducted by Messina and Torres. This was a fantastic opportunity for the Academy, as a majority of the ballplayers had never had the chance to train under the eyes of international tutorage.
The Red Sox members then held two practice sessions for the Malta Heat, where they went through pitching and hitting fundamentals along with several drills. The Heat is a newly-formed ball club representing the most-talented members of the adult league. Malta Heat will be participating in the MABS National League in October, along with several Italian clubs who will be also participating for the very first time.
Riccardo Messina has been part of the coaching staff of the Red Sox for several years, including several appearances as a coach for the Italian cadet teams. Franklyn Torres is Dominican-born, but has spent most of his career in Italy, including several appearances with the Italian National Team. He was also the winning pitcher for Italy at the Baseball World Cup in 2009 against Japan.
Photos by Karen Vella