Children learn baseball at Pine High School Camp
Published 6:47 am Saturday, June 4, 2016
- DAILY NEWS PHOTO/Chris Kinkaid Ben’s Ford Christian School’s Connor Slocum, who is going to be a fourth grader next school year, makes contact with a pitch in the batting cage at Pine’s baseball camp. The clinic had 40 children ages 6-14 attend.
Pine players and coaches spent this week teaching the game of baseball to children ages 6-14.
The clinic, which also served a fundraiser for the baseball program, took the participants through drills that showed them different skills for baseball.
“This is our annual camp we’ve been trying to hold the first week of June. I think this is about the fifth year in a row we’ve had it,” Pine coach Blake Dillon said Wednesday. “We’ve had a good turnout. We’ve got a lot of good, quality players who come and try to improve their skills. We’ve been improving on infield drills, outfield drills and hitting fundamentals. Today, we’re going to start working on pitchers and catchers drills.”
With the hitting, the campers have tee work, batting cage work and they take batting practice.
Dillon said they try to do a lot of competitions where there is a winner and a loser, to help the campers learn how to win and lose.
One of those competitions took place Wednesday during a drill where players worked on hitting the cutoff man.
The campers do drills before lunch and play games after.
“All baseball players, that’s what they really enjoy. We know the fundamentals are the important part, but the games, that’s what the fun part is,” Dillon said. “That’s what they all look forward to at the end of the day is playing those games.”
One of the campers, William Hollywood, 12, who is going into seventh grade at Pine, was at the clinic for his second year.
Hollywood plays third base, second base, shortstop and pitcher.
“I really like coming here because it helps me get better and we have that game afterwards. It’s really fun,” he said.
One of the Pine High School players helping with the camp was Tate Roach, who will be a senior.
“There’s a bunch of kids out here and we’re trying to help them get better, going through drills and letting them all play,” Roach said. “They’re having a good time. We’re having a good time helping them. I hope they all get better and have a good time.”
Roach, who plays left field, right field, first base and pitcher for the Raiders, was in his third year helping with the camp.
“I like it. I like being out here with all of the kids, having a good time, playing baseball,” he said.
