Players, coaches beat the heat at OCHS camps

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Profile picture for user Torin Smith

By Torin Smith on Wednesday, July 3, 2024

Youth softball, baseball camps held at OCHS

  • Lawson Smith (center) and other campers imitate a soccer “knee slide” goal celebration on the slip-n-slide after the baseball finished on June 26. OCHS baseball coach Mike Campbell focused on having fun at the camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    Lawson Smith (center) and other campers imitate a soccer “knee slide” goal celebration on the slip-n-slide after the baseball finished on June 26. OCHS baseball coach Mike Campbell focused on having fun at the camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
  • Lilly Graham works on her pitching form at the softball camp at Oglethorpe County High School last week. Graham was one of 16 girls who attended the camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    Lilly Graham works on her pitching form at the softball camp at Oglethorpe County High School last week. Graham was one of 16 girls who attended the camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
  • OCHS sophomore Khloe Eidson (left) and OCHS softball coach Brianna Dickens slide at the request of the campers at the end of the softball and baseball camps at OCHS last week. The coaches set up makeshift slip-n-slides for fun and help beat the heat. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    OCHS sophomore Khloe Eidson (left) and OCHS softball coach Brianna Dickens slide at the request of the campers at the end of the softball and baseball camps at OCHS last week. The coaches set up makeshift slip-n-slides for fun and help beat the heat. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
  • Ellis Taylor (left) and OCHS junior Reese Campbell (right) take turns spraying water at each other at the end of the camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    Ellis Taylor (left) and OCHS junior Reese Campbell (right) take turns spraying water at each other at the end of the camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
  • Sam Wisham works on fielding ground balls and throwing to first base in the baseball camp at OCHS. He was one of 35 boys who participated. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    Sam Wisham works on fielding ground balls and throwing to first base in the baseball camp at OCHS. He was one of 35 boys who participated. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
  • Lucie Sanders (left), Skyler Fleming (front) and Lilly Graham (back) go for a turn on the slip-n-slide at the end of the softball camp at OCHS last week. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    Lucie Sanders (left), Skyler Fleming (front) and Lilly Graham (back) go for a turn on the slip-n-slide at the end of the softball camp at OCHS last week. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
  • OCHS sophomores Khloe Eidson (left) and Zharia Burgess (right) take a turn on the slip-n-slide at the end of the camp. They are two of the current softball players who helped out at the softball camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)
    OCHS sophomores Khloe Eidson (left) and Zharia Burgess (right) take a turn on the slip-n-slide at the end of the camp. They are two of the current softball players who helped out at the softball camp. (Torin Smith/The Oglethorpe Echo)

    Young baseball and softball players splashed around and cooled off on makeshift slip-n-slides on Wednesday, celebrating the end of baseball and softball camps at Oglethorpe County High School.

     

    The camps started at 9 a.m. Wednesday, and the temperature reached 93 degrees by the time they ended at noon. 

     

    The coaches beat the heat throughout the day, making sure campers stayed hydrated with plenty of water and electrolyte drinks, as well as taking well-timed popsicle breaks.

     

    “Once they get moving they’re fine,” OCHS softball coach Brianna Dickens said. “It’s one of those things when they get here you say, ‘It’s gonna be hot today, and we’re all gonna be hot, but it’s gonna be all right.’”

     

    Sixteen girls, ranging from ages 6 to 13, attended the camp. Dickens coached the girls on fundamental defensive skills, including throwing progression, defensive positioning, pitching and catching. 

     

    She also worked on hitting, focusing on establishing a batting routine, finding a comfortable stance and working on timing. Dickens said establishing strong fundamentals is important at a young age.

     

    “It’s easier to break habits when you’re younger than when you’re in high school and you’ve been doing something a certain way for so long,” she said.

     

    Dickens said she did everything “competition-style” to help keep the campers entertained. She said the competitions help break up the drills and keep the campers focused throughout the day.

     

    “Right now, most of them are at that 8, 9-year-old stage where they’re really getting to the point where they can master a lot of these skills,” Dickens said. “We’re just trying to keep it fun for them and not so pressurized.”

     

    OCHS baseball coach Mike Campbell had a similar approach to the baseball camp.

     

    “It’s got to be fun,” he said. “Baseball needs to be fun, period. I think a lot of times they play so much they forget the fact that it’s a fun sport.”

     

    There were 35 boys, ranging from ages 6 to 12, at the baseball camp. He put them through a typical high school practice, working on basics like throwing, fielding and base running, but he said the most important skill is simply playing catch.

     

    “A lot of times, playing catch gets lost in baseball, and if you can’t play catch, you really can’t play the game,” Campbell said. “I want them to be able to catch the ball, step and throw the ball without having to play fetch and go find the ball. It’s a lost art sometimes.”

     

    Both coaches had several of their OCHS players help run the camps. Dickens said the kids thought it was “cool” to pair up with the high schoolers.

     

    She said she thinks the coaching was just as beneficial for the high schoolers.

     

    “At one point, they were little girls wanting to play high school ball,” Dickens said. “It’s kind of cool to see them give back to little girls who are looking up to them now.”