It’s time for area youngsters to grab a glove and a bat and work on some baseball skills.

The 2009 baseball skills camp sponsored by Ameriprise Financial and Davis Thoen and Kramer will be held Saturday, May 2 at Marcusen Park.

Registration is being held at the YMCA and interested participants are being asked to register by Wednesday.

The camp is free and includes three sessions. Kindergarten through second graders will go from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; third to fifth graders will go from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and sixth to eighth graders will go from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Members of the Austin Greyhounds will perform the clinic as they have two players who have played at the pro level and many who have played at the college level.

“It’s always a good time working with kids and it’s a good way for us to give back to the baseball community,” said Matt Cano of the Greyhounds, who played seven years in the Minor Leagues.

The camp is a good chance for kids to learn about hitting and defense from players who have a lot of experience.

“A lot of us have played a lot of baseball and done a lot of clinics,” John Frein of the Greyhounds said. “We’d like to come out and pass on some of our knowledge to the younger generations.”

All attendees will receive a free T-shirt.

Sponsors for the event include Games People Play, Hy Vee, and the YMCA.