Jack GlecklerChillicothe Gazette
CHILLICOTHE — With schools out for the summer and the baseball season in full swing, the Cincinnati Reds' youth baseball and softball camp made its return to Chillicothe for the third year in a row.
Boys and girls aged 6 to 14 gathered at Unioto Baseball Field this past week to take part in a youth camp that teaches them the baseball and softball fundamentals from members of the Reds organization, as well as local volunteers.
Ross Lunsford, the camp's field director, said the focus of the camp is to provide instruction and a fun, safe environment for players of all skill levels. The campers are broken up into separate groups, and instructors are catered toward helping each player develop skills relative to their own abilities.
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"We grouped the kids by ability level with coaches that are trained and have skills to help that particular group of kids, and we provide support with campers who maybe are new to the game and want to further their skills," Lunsford said. "We also have teams here that are more skilled players, and we're pushing them to be the best they can. We really try to have a holistic view, good defense, good hitting discipline, and mix that in with being safe."
The campers take part in a day-long instruction courses throughout the week that go over fundamental skills like baserunning, hitting, pitching and fielding drills.
Also, they're taken on a field trip. On Tuesday, Lunsford and his staff took the campers to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. There, they got to explore the field, dugouts, bullpens and other parts of the facility. The kids also had a chance to meet Reds center fielder Will Benson.
Emmett Pfeifer, who attends Unioto, said his favorite part of the camp has been being able to improve his hitting. During a scrimmage early in the week, he hit a ball down the foul line and ended up with a double.
"I feel like every single time after I hit, if it's like a bad hit, I can always do better next time," Pfeifer said.
The camp in Chillicothe is one of 17 regional Reds youth baseball and softball camps hosted around the area. Lunsford likens it to the blackout area of MLB TV's coverage for the Reds. Youth camps extend from Columbus to Indianapolis and down into Lexington, Kentucky, and run all throughout the summer months. Many of the camp instructors for the Chillicothe camp are pulled from local universities and high schools.
Jack Oyer, a junior at Chillicothe High School who pitches and plays first base for the Cavaliers baseball team, joined the camp staff after being asked to by his coaches. Oyer says serving in a leadership role has been rewarding as it allows him to pass on knowledge he picked up learning from former high school players he looked up to as a kid.
"It's really rewarding," Oyer said. "It feels great knowing that you're someone that they look up to. When I was their age, I was looking up to high school students, and I listened to them and anything they said. So, it's good knowing that they're listening to me, so I want to do my best and teach them everything that I've learned."
Oyer said he enjoyed seeing so many local kids from around the area come out and express an interest in baseball. Being able to spread his love for the game and helping young players elevate their skills served almost a full circle moment for Oyer.
Although it's his first year participating as an instructor, Oyer said he'd love to return if given the chance.
"It's just amazing seeing that they're from all over," Oyer said. "South, north, east, west, everywhere. They're going to continue to maintain those roles and build their teammates up in the future as well."
For the past three years, the Reds youth camps have always began in Chillicothe, and Lunsford has been grateful for the work Unioto has put into preparing the facilities for use. He hopes to continue the tradition of beginning in Chillicothe in the future, thanks in part to the hard work put in by Unioto's grounds staff.
"So far camp has been going beautifully here," Lunsford said. "Unioto has been a fantastic facility for us, and we've kicked off our camps for the summer every year here the last three years. I hope we can continue to do it, because it's just such a high note to begin the summer on."
