LEARNING FROM THE CHAMPS: Andalusia set to host youth baseball camp
Published 12:05 am Thursday, January 24, 2019
Baseball players around Covington County will have the chance to learn from the 2018 Class 4A state championship baseball team as the Andalusia Bulldogs are set to host a youth baseball camp in February.
“This has been a very successful camp in the past,” Andalusia head coach Tyler Dent said. “It’s continued to grow and has gotten bigger every year.”
Dent said that campers will have a chance to learn a lot about the game of baseball.
“We will teach them a little bit of everything,” Dent said. “We will work on a lot of mechanics whether it be base running, fielding, bunting, pitching, hitting or throwing. We’ve been doing this camp for at least the six years that I’ve been here and I’m sure it was around before I got here. It’s something that the kids around here always look forward to doing. The funny thing is that we actually have guys in our program now that participated in this camp when they were younger.”
As much as it will benefit the younger players, Dent said it’s also something that will benefit his high school players.
“It’s a really good thing,” Dent said. “I will have my players and coaches helping with the camp. It’s great because it gives my players a chance to interact with these kids that look up to them.”
Dent said it’s important for his players to realize the impact they have on the younger kids.
“This camp is a way for our guys to see the impact that they have on the kids,” Dent. “We can tell them all the time about it, but this let’s them see first hand. It’s a good learning moment for our guys. They get to pass on knowledge that they have learned to the younger kids. For a moment, they aren’t players anymore and they become coaches.”
The goal of the camp is to teach the kids the proper way to approach the game of baseball.
“I think we run a pretty good baseball program here,” Dent said. “To me, we have the best kids in the state and I want these kids to see the right way to play the game. It’s also so they understand what’s expected from them when they get into the high school program.”
Even though it’s the Bulldog Baseball Camp, Dent said it’s open to any kid that loves the game.
“Hopefully, I can instill in them the knowledge that has been instilled in me by my former coaches. I want them to improve their craft even if they aren’t an Andalusia kid. I want to see everyone improve their craft regardless of what school they attend.”
The camp will be held Feb. 2 at Johnson Park with registration beginning at 8 a.m. Camp instructions will begin at 9 a.m., and last until 12:30 p.m.
“I really want to thank the City of Andalusia for allowing us to use Johnson Park,” Dent said. “By doing that, we are able to use multiple fields for different areas of focus. If we have a large enough group of younger kids, we will also be able to put them on field by themselves.”
The cost of the camp is $25 per player and $20 for each additional camper that resides in the same household.
Each camper will receive a free camp T-Shirt.