Twins host girls baseball camp for fourth summer in a row
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Saints ballpark was busy Tuesday with players who are finding their footing on the baseball diamond for the first time.
These girls are learning the fundamentals of a sport they love — a sport most have only seen played by the boys.
"I've always wanted to try baseball so I'm going to ask my parents if I can do a season of baseball," said 9-year-old Danica Salden.
Salden is following in her dad's footsteps, learning how to play America's pastime, and getting hooked quickly.
"Here you can just pitch all the time and you can overhand throw, which I think is easier and funner," she said.
Outside the walls of CHS Field, it's rare for these 7-14-year-olds to find an all-girls team. Most of them play with boys, making this camp extra special for players like 11-year-old Eloise Hansen.
"It allows girls to have the opportunity to not just be with boys and think that they can't play when they're older," Hansen said.
That is exactly what motivated Twins youth engagement manager Chelsey Falzone to put this camp on for the last four summers.
"I played baseball until college when I switched to softball, and I never played with another girl and I never saw another girl on a ball field in over a decade. So this is very personally meaningful to me," Falzone said.
She says the Twins Community Fund helps offset a lot of the costs to put these camps on.
"Our goal is to eliminate as many barriers as possible to get them on a ball field," Falzone said.
Being here has helped these girls set big goals for themselves too.
"I've always wanted to be a professional player, but I have a long ways to go," Salden said.