Written by Amanda Coers – Early High School will be hosting a four week baseball camp starting January 15th, at 115 Sudderth Drive in Early. EHS Head Coach Blake Sandford will direct the program in conjunction with the U.S. Baseball Academy. Classes are available for players in grades 1st-12th. Sessions will be held on Sundays, beginning at 1 p.m. on January 15, 22nd, 29th, and February 5th. Skills covered will include advanced hitting, pitching, catching, fielding and baserunning.
Blake Sandford has coached baseball in Brown County for over 20 years at Bangs, Brownwood, and Early. He has also worked as a professional baseball scout for 10 years with the Cincinnati Reds, 2 years with New York Yankees, and 1 year with the Atlanta Braves.
This is the fifth year for the camp to be hosted in the Brown County area. Coach Sandford hopes to get serious players ready for the upcoming season.
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“A lot of times, camps are in the summer,” said Coach Sandford. “But I thought, why not do this at the beginning of the year before the season started – to get baseball on their minds. This is a great vehicle for that.”
With a low player-coach ratio, each participant receives individual attention in a small-group setting for about an hour per week. An average hitting session includes about 30 players with six or seven experienced and professionally trained coaches. Pitching and catching sessions have smaller numbers and the same player-coach ratio. And with numerous age-specific sessions, instruction is specially tailored for each ability level.
“It’s not a ‘play’ camp, we don’t play games,” said Coach Sandford. “We keep our groups as small as we can, seven to ten kids per coach, so each child can receive individual instruction for specific skills.”
Depending on the amount of participants, Sandford plans to have 5-7 coaches available. “We get professionals who have been coaching for a long time, and current college players, to teach the kids,” says Sandford, who feels the camp is a great way to continue a strong tradition of baseball in Brown County.
Registration is now under way for the upcoming camp, and spots are limited. For more information, visit www.USBaseballAcademy.com, or call toll-free 866-622-4487.