With Allen Community College baseball just 36 days away from its season opener, the Red Devils are eager to get back into the swing of things. But before they face any competition, ACC athletes will host a six-week skills camp for local youths.
The camp begins this Sunday, and continues each Sunday from 3 to 4:30 p.m. until Feb. 9 at the ACC activities building. The cost is $100 cash or $125 by check. All ages are encouraged to participate.
ACC head baseball coach Clint Stoy emphasized he is hoping for a high turnout and to see fresh faces from the area. After all, a community the size of Iola is lucky to have a talented program with top coaches to share their skills.
I cant think of anywhere else where you will get the professionalism and volume of the teaching along with the time for such a limited cost, Stoy said. It equates to about $12 an hour, which is pretty affordable for what we are trying to do. You go to a camp like this in Kansas City, and it is going to be $400-$500 minimum.
In baseball, Stoy highlights that no matter ones age or skill level, theyre still seeking to improve on the same fundamentals: running, throwing, hitting, hitting for power, and fielding.
Stoy believes an emphasis on the smallest of details is crucial to any players success.
If you go to a game down at the park and watch kids play catch, nobody has ever taught them the proper way to play catch. And if they have, they are not being regimented on it, Stoy said. This is what I do for a living. When I get my oil changed, I dont crawl underneath the car with the mechanic. I dont know much about cars or anything like that, so my profession is baseball. I like to think I know what Im talking about.
While skill improvement is the purpose of the camp, having the opportunity to engage with local talent and engage with the community as a whole is always a top goal for Red Devil baseball.
The gratifying thing for us is getting to connect with the community, Stoy said. If we can get these guys to improve in any way, then perhaps they can move on and win a state championship. Then, we can recruit them to play here. Its a win-win situation for everybody.
Camp attendees will get the chance to interact with players from the Red Devil baseball program.
We will have usually four or five of our players at the camp, Stoy said. Our guys love it and they look forward to it. They really like interacting and teaching because every single one of those guys remembers going to camps like this and the impact that the lessons gave them.
In past years, the camp has received high marks from those who have attended. In fact, Stoy highlights that the Iola community is why they still continue to put on the skills camp.
Thats huge for us because that kind of says hey, weve been and it is awesome, Stoy said. We try to keep it from being repetitive because it is only once a week. Also, we make sure there is no conflict with basketball season, or wrestling season, so we hold it on Sunday afternoon.
It is not too late to sign up for ACCs skills camp. If interested, email assistant coach Drew Noble at noble@allencc.edu for details.
