For many baseball players in the area, attending Seymour High School’s youth camp is a must each summer.

Near 110 baseball players, from incoming kindergartners to high school freshmen, worked on their game this week at American Legion Field and on the turf at the SHS Soccer Complex.

Owls varsity coach Jeremy Richey said he has been in charge of the camp for 12 to 14 years.

[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery

“It’s a neat thing to see them grow and come back every year,” he said. “We are teaching the game of baseball here, but more importantly, we’re trying to get them to be a part of our program and look forward to being a high school player.”

The camp was broken up by grades.

“With the little guys, we have four different stations. We have a hitting, pitching, infield and outfield station,” Richey said. “There are drills with all the basic parts of the game. We’re anywhere from kindergarten to fifth-graders here. We are just trying to hit all the facets of the game for these little guys.”

Bode Brooks, an incoming fifth-grader at St. John’s Sauers, said he has gone to the came three or four times.

“I like everything. I like playing the game the best,” he said. “We’ve been working on footwork, hitting and some pitching.”

Richey had the help of his high school staff and players, as well as some former players, at the camp.

Richey said the older kids work on more technique and tougher drills.

“The sixth- through ninth-graders, we have Alan Perry and Michael Knecht (both 2018 SHS grads) back that are running that side of things,” he said. “Those are two college players back. It’s a neat thing for them to be coached by them.”

Will Gray, an incoming freshman at SHS, said he has made almost every camp since he was a 5-year-old.

“I like being with the high school players and coaches. They teach you a lot,” Gray said. “We’ve been working on making plays up the middle and working on calls. I’m a catcher, so signs are important behind the plate. There are a lot of kids from Seymour that come out here, and we work together.”

During the camps, Richey stresses the importance of being good role models to his high school instructors.

“They’re building relationships with these guys,” Richey said. “The campers come here for them. They want to be around the high school kids and have them coaching them. It puts our guys in a position of where they’re learning by teaching it. The younger kids absorb everything.”