Players get the most out of practice at high school
Lattanzi Field, inside Smyrna’s Ward Park, is usually home to the Campbell baseball team in the spring, but the field hosted a different group of ballplayers this spring.
Atlanta Braves pitchers Mike Soroka, Mike Foltynewicz and Sean Newcomb used the field for pitching practices from early April through early July after the coronavirus shut down Major League Baseball facilities, including the Braves’ Truist Park.
“All major league facilities around the country were closed, so the players were literally having to find different places on their own to work out,” Campbell baseball coach Jeff Searcy said. “Some guys worked out at D-BATs (training facilities). They hit there and a couple locations. Sean Newcomb and Mike Soroka would find an open field and throw until all of the public parks actually closed because of COVID-19.”
Fields owned by Cobb County were closed, but the pitchers were able to use Campbell’s home field because it is part of the Smyrna-owned park. The park is also only about 4 miles west of Truist Park.
“They, being the city, allow the baseball program to use the field for our season,” Searcy said. “They will schedule things during the summer and the offseason. It doesn’t belong to us, but they let us use the field.”
First, Newcomb’s agent, Brodie Schofield, had to get permission to use the field first. Scofield contacted Searcy, who then sought permission from the city, and Searcy was ultimately able to get permission from Mayor Derek Norton through Smyrna parks and recreation director Richard Garland.
“City of Smyrna was one of the few entities that left our parks open for people to be able to use,” Garland said. “That was the crux of it, was that our park was open and Mayor Norton was willing to allow them to use it as a practice site.”
Searcy attended every practice to help prepare the field for use. He said that the pitchers practiced for about 1½ hours a day, six days a week, for four months.
“It was only those guys for the first three months. As they got closer to figuring out that they were actually looking at a season, some of the other guys came out to get some swings in and some additional throws,” Searcy said.
In addition to the pitchers, a number of position players came out to the field, including infielders Ozzie Albies and Johan Camargo, utility player Charlie Culberson and star outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.
Garland attended all but two of the practices.
“They’d long-toss probably two or three days, and then they’d do a bullpen session,” Garland said. “They’d come back the day after a bullpen session for a light workout and then start the routine over again. Sunday was the only day they took off.”
Now, Soroka, Foltynewicz and Newcomb are back to practicing with their teammates at Truist Park. The Braves will host two exhibition games against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday and Wednesday before beginning the 60-game regular season Friday in New York against the Mets.