Highland Hall Batting Drill Gives New Meaning to Sacrifice

Dave Desmond, the baseball coach at Highland Hall, calls it the “you-gotta-love-it” drill.

One would think his players don’t.

The drill is a kamikaze-like routine during which players practice getting hit with pitches. Not creating hits out of pitches. Getting hit with pitches.

“We throw the ball inside and you actually have to roll with it and get hit,” Desmond said.

Sound painful? Desmond assures all that it’s not.

“If you lean out and roll with it, it takes away most of the impact,” he said. “But some kids have bruises.”

Desmond’s teachings have not gone in vain. Hawk batters have been hit a school-record 24 times in 17 games.

Seth Ernsdorf has been hit by a pitch six times in competition and leads the team in that category.

Besides grimacing, how do the players respond to the drill?

“The kids have a blast with it,” Desmond said. “That is, when they’re the ones who aren’t in it.”