In baseball, as in life, bad bounces happen and send things in an unexpected direction. If you stay with it, though, you can still make the play.

It’s a lesson Grant Worsley took to heart.

The Vicksburg entrepreneur was trying to bring a college baseball series between Jackson State and Alcorn State to Vicksburg back in March. When the deal fell through, he stayed with it and turned an error into a web gem for Vicksburg’s young players.

Jackson State’s team will come to Key City Park on Tuesday, May 13, to conduct a free youth baseball clinic from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The drills are intended for children ages 8-12, but all ages are welcome to come out and meet the JSU players and coaches. There is no advance registration required.

WaterView Casino is a sponsor for the clinic. For information, email Worsley at Theworsleygroup@rocketmail.com.

“We were doing the Battle of Vicksburg and Alcorn State backed out,” Worsley said. “Jackson State sees what I’m doing for the community and wanted to get more baseball exposure for the kids out here. They said OK, we’ll come out and do something for the kids. That’s something that I’m so thankful for.”

Worsley is a New Jersey native who played football at Syracuse University. He has lived in Vicksburg for nearly 20 years and has a number of sports-related business ventures here.

He has a sports management company; owns the American Basketball Association’s Jackson Showboats, a semi-pro team and has conducted summer tryout camps for the team in Vicksburg; and has a non-profit organization called G3 Sports that helps bring things like the Jackson State clinic to town.

Although the clinic mostly came about because the JSU-Alcorn series fell through, he said it was still a great idea to give young baseball players in Vicksburg a chance to meet and interact with top-level talent.

Jackson State entered this weekend’s series at Arkansas-Pine Bluff with a 10-game winning streak and a 27-17 overall record. Head coach Omar Johnson has had 14 30-win seasons in his 19 years leading the program.

“I wanted to have some positive images for the youth baseball community out here,” Worsley said. “You have so many youth leagues, teeball leagues, the four high schools … baseball is really big in the Vicksburg community and getting bigger. I thought it was a really nice thing to see for all of the kids in the Vicksburg community to see college student-athletes and players at the Division I level and work with them.”

The Vicksburg Warren Athletic Association will play its scheduled baseball games after the clinic at Key City Park. If at all possible players and teams should get there a little early for a little extra practice with some of the sport’s best.

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Ernest Bowker is the sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. He can be reached at ernest.bowker@vicksburgpost.com