VIDALIA — Fisher Iseminger said it was a little awkward being around college softball coaches.

But as one of approximately 80 girls getting instruction from the LSU softball coaching staff Saturday, Iseminger said she was grateful to learn more about the game of softball.

“It’s weird, but it’s cool,” Iseminger, 11, said. “They’re just really important, I guess, and you get to talk to them and help.”

The Concordia Recreation District 3 complex hosted a baseball and softball clinic, with the LSU softball coaching staff heading up the softball instructions and former college and professional baseball players teaching the sport to approximately 40 boys.

LSU head softball coach Beth Torina said her clinic focused on the fundamentals of softball with the goal of giving local youth knowledge they can take home to help further their development. She also said she was thrilled to have close to 80 girls on hand at a camp not hosted on LSU’s campus.

“I think it’s great,” Torina said. “It’s nice to get this kind of following when you go on the road. I’m glad to see so many girls in this area playing softball.”

As the head coach of a major university, Torina said one of her jobs is to promote softball all across the State of Louisiana.

“We’re all about growing the sport,” Torina said. “We want to give back and make the sport we love grow throughout the state.”

Adams County Christian School softball player Ashleigh Williams was among those who attended the camp. Even though she’s a fairly seasoned player, Williams said she was still able to take a lot away from the camp.

“It’s quite helpful,” Williams said. “You learn so many new drills that will help you with your fundamentals, and it just helps practice more and more so you can get better at what you do.”

Williams, who wants to play softball in college, said there were a few nerves being around the coaching staff of an SEC school.

“It’s very scary sometimes, because you’re really nervous,” Williams said. “You don’t want to mess up, and you want to do your best, but it’s not too bad. It’s kind of overwhelming at times.”

The baseball workshop was hosted by Extra Innings Academy, an organization founded by former Ole Miss and longtime professional baseball player Dave Dellucci. Dellucci, who hunts locally, said he founded Extra Innings because he wanted to offer young baseball players quality instruction at affordable prices, all while keeping baseball fun. Former LSU baseball players such as Aaron Nola and Mike Fontenot joined him.

“At the lower levels of baseball, you just want them to have fun and improve at all skill levels of the game,” Dellucci said. “Having fun is enjoying what you’re doing, first and foremost, and if you’re getting better at it, you tend to have more fun when you’re getting hits than if you can’t.”

Landon Davis, 11, said the instructors taught him “a lot of stuff,” including how to field ground balls and how to catch fly balls. Though he’s used to doing both, Davis said continuing to practice is important.

“You have to know how to do it,” Davis said. “If you don’t know how to do it, you’re not going to win a ball game.”

Former Vidalia High School and Southern Mississippi standout Jarrett Hoffpauir was also among those giving instruction. He said he was more than happy to help out with a baseball clinic in his hometown.

“It’s awesome,” Hoffpauir said. “I wish this was here back when I was (a child). It’s fun to come back and see baseball grow and continue to grow.”

Hoffpauir’s father, parks and recreation director Johnny Lee Hoffpauir, said he was glad to see so many children show up despite rain leaving the fields damp Friday night.

“We had a great turnout for the girls and more than I expected for the guys,” Johnny Lee said. “For it being a first-time clinic, it’s been a great success, considering the weather.”

The instructors also came away impressed with the recreation complex.

“This is beautiful,” Dellucci said. “I came down here to visit when we had the idea of doing a clinic in this area, and it was a no-brainer. It’s just a beautiful complex. The love of the game in Natchez, Vidalia and surrounding areas is really incredible.”

Torina was also complimentary of the facilities.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “I’m glad to be here with the opportunity to work in so much space. What a great facility they have for kids around here.”

Johnny Lee said he’s looking to host another clinic in the spring and more in the future as well.