St. Bernards Sports Medicine will host a free baseball conference for parents and coaches on Saturday, Feb. 23.

The day-long program will feature physicians, physical therapists and local high school coaches giving expert advice on baseball injury prevention and season preparation.

Program participants will include speakers and hands-on instructors. Topics covered will include shoulder and elbow injuries (with prevention techniques), impact injuries, hydration and supplementation, staph infection and wound management, age-recommended pitch counts and rotator cuff strengthening. Local high school coaches also will provide hands-on sessions in baseball instruction and technique for coaches.

Speakers will include Spencer Guinn and Brian Dickson, team physicians for ASU baseball; Jeremy Swymn, chief resident for orthopedic surgery at Campbell Clinic; Jeff Graham, family practice sports medicine; and Andy Shatley, physical therapist at St. Bernards Sports Medicine.

Other program faculty will be Chris Coats, physical therapy assistant, St. Bernards Sports Medicine; Holly Sherman, sports performance specialist, Seams Sports Academy in Jonesboro; and high school coaches John Burgi of Valley View and Jim Ellis and Mark Dobson of Jonesboro High School.

Breakout sessions will cover various baseball related topics, including pitching mechanics, throwing drills/pitch types; fielding drills, proper mechanics and run-downs; and throwers strength program and flexibility.

The conference check-in will begin at 7 in the morning, and the program will run from 8 through 2 in the afternoon, with a light breakfast and lunch provided. It will be held at the new indoor sports facility behind the Jonesboro High School gymnasium. Certificates of attendance will be available to coaches for continuing education credits.

The program will be limited to 100 participants, with registration due by Feb. 20. Persons interested in registering may do so by calling 870-972-5545.