The Pike Liberal Arts baseball and softball programs will host a summer camp this month in order to teach the fundamentals of the game.

The camp will run from Monday, June 11 to Wednesday, June 13.

The camp will be open for boys and girls in kindergarten through the sixth grade. The price for each participant will be $40.

“We are just excited about it,” said head softball coach Robert Rollan. “We are going to have fun and try to teach them the basic fundamentals of softball – hitting, throwing and defense. We’re trying to help them get a little better.”

It is just the second year the Patriots have put on this camp, but with the excitement that came along with the event last year, head baseball coach Allen Ponder is eager to see what year two will bring.

“It’s great not only for our program, but it’s good for our kids,” Ponder said. “I think it’s an opportunity for some kids that may not be affiliated with Pike to get to know our program. We had a great turnout last year and we are expecting another great turnout this year. We expect it to keep getting better every year.”

Over the course of the three days, participants on the baseball and softball field will learn the art of hitting, fielding and base-running from the Pike Liberal Arts baseball players, who are fresh off a state title, and from coach Rolland and the Lady Patriots.

“When you look at the game of softball, (the players) are getting better earlier,” Rollan said. “I think the earlier we can start teaching them where they are supposed to be on the field, where they are supposed to be backing up and how they are supposed to field ground balls, at a young age it just makes the job for the next coach a lot easier. It also makes them more successful. That’s what we want them to be. We want them to be as successful as they can be as they get older.”

This camp also gives the Patriots a chance to show others what Pike Liberal Arts has to offer in the way of softball and baseball.

“It’s really about us building our brand, per se,” Ponder said. “We take a lot of pride in our baseball program. We think the things that we teach speak for themselves. It’s great for parents and kids that may not be affiliated and may not know how we do things.”

The Patriot players get the experience of teaching the game to the younger participants.

“Our players love interacting with the kids,” Ponder said. “We have a lot of kids come out to practice. We have a lot of kids come out to the games specifically to see our guys. I think our guys have the understanding that they’re role models to these kids. This is their opportunity to get out there and teach the game of baseball and not just hang out with them.”

The $40 fee will include free admission to the Patriots home opener against Abbeville on February 14.

“It includes a ticket to the first game, which is against Abbeville,” Rollan said. “More than likely what we are going to do is … we will let (the girls who come to the camp) go out on the field with the players during the national anthem.”
For any more information on the camps you can reach Allen Ponder at aponder@pikelib.com for baseball or Robert Rollan at rrollan@pikelib.com for softball.