Lloyd Thompson

never got his cup of coffee in major league baseball but he hopes that

his experience in college and minor league ball will help him help others

get that taste. Thompson has opened Home Plate Hitting and Pitching Instruction,

an indoor baseball instructional facility in Peachtree City.

Thompson has

been teaching baseball for four years on the weekends but he decided in

April to teach full-time. He has a good base of students right now and

the numbers continue to go up thanks to good word of mouth. High school

baseball starts Feb. 10 and he wants the local crop of players to be ready.

Thompson played

college ball as a shortstop for the University of New Mexico and was drafted

twice. He played minor league ball for Montreal and the Chicago White

Sox. Thompson also played ball in the famous Cape Cod League where six

of his colleagues were drafted into the pros as well. One of his coaches

in the minors was Leo Mazzone in Corpus Christi.

Thompson now

resides in Fairburn and spent four years as an assistant baseball coach

at Woodward Academy. He also coaches an all-star team of local players

each fall.

"After

one day of coaching I realized that this is what I should have been doing

my whole life," said Thompson, who now owns and operates his own

baseball instruction business.

"Aspiring

students have to have good grades and a good attitude before we can better

their skills," Thompson said. "The goals for my students are

to get on their high school team. Exceptional students can shoot for playing

in college or professionally."

Several students

he has worked with in the past are already playing college ball, including

pitchers at Yale and Princeton, outfielders at Alabama and the University

of New Mexico and a catcher at Andrew College.

Students first

do some calisthenics for warmups and then work on their speed and agility.

The program for each student can vary, however, depending on skill level

and the position they want to work on.

There are several

batting cages and pitchng pens in the 4,000-square-foot area and Thomspon

has another 4,000 square feet set aside for when he needs it. He hopes

one day to expand into a full building with an outdoor field or two. Teams

can also rent out batting cages but are encouraged to call and make an

appointment first.

Along with

baseball skills, Thompson encourages his students to exercise year round

and to play other sports in order to stay fit. He knows that few students

will play major college ball and even fewer will make it to the pros,

which is why he wants to produce good people who love to play baseball.

"Anything

you want to do takes concentration, time and effort, whether it's learning

to hit better or improve your grade from a C to an A," Thompson said.

"If you can do it on the field, you can do it in class and vice versa."

Home Plate

is open from 4-10 p.m. during the week and from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on the weekend.

It is located off of Paschal Rd. in Peachtree City, the first left after

the railroad tracks. Thompson can be contacted by pager at 770-397-0000.

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