Coach, son offer talents to baseball camp
By Jeannie Stone
LITTLE ROCK — Ping.
“That’s a single,” Coach Denny McCrotty shouted.
Ping.
“That’s a home run!” Ping. “You’re out with that one.”
Those were the sounds of batting practice at McCrotty’s Baseball Camp held in Russellville, and Denny McCrotty, who is making the judgment calls, is the man people have called “Coach” for more than 30 years.
City official Jason Golden said 1,000 kids in Russellville alone play on baseball and softball teams. “And that doesn’t count Atkins, Dardanelle, Clarksville or Dover,” he said.
“Let’s wrap it up, guys. Time to change stations,” one coach announced to his team of the moment. He turned to a young player holding his pinky midair. “Sorry, I don’t have any Band-Aids,” he said.
Ball players, ages 7 to 18, have registered for the annual camp.
Neal Brown, a London resident who brought his 12-yearold grandson Logan Brown to the camp each morning, was full of compliments.
“I think this is a very good camp. They pay a lot of personal attention to the kids, and Coach McCrotty has built a great baseball program here at the high school. In fact, he was here when my 44-year-old son was in high school.”
McCrotty’s son, Will, hosted the camp for the second year after resurrecting the childhood experience of his father holding summer camps for the area children. Will McCrotty played professional baseball out of high school with both the Dodgers and then the Indians from 1997 to 2004 before shoulder injuries ended his playing career. The camp allows him the opportunity to share his passion with younger players.
“Our coaching staff has a lot of fun with the baseball camp. Baseball has been good to us, and we want to give back a littleto our community,” Will Mc-Crotty said.
Will, his father and a half dozen experienced college ball players contributed their talents for the sake of influencing the 61 kids who spent three intensive days perfecting their baseball games.
“One more, one more … load, drop, kick,” Nathan Cathcart instructed a member of the Dodgers team during fence drills. The camp is serious about hitting, and each station drills different techniques such as encouraging the proper hip movement, working on extensions, improving focus on the ball and “hustle, hustle, hustle.”
At one station, Tyler Shaw was using dimple balls to try to get players to use their hips during their swing. “Now, stride, then stretch your hips,” he said to the members of the Yankees team. “You’re here, here, here,” he said as he provided freeze frames of a complete swing. “Then, I’m going to toss the ball, and you’re going to finish your swing. Now, just remember to keep your shoulders square.”
Friends Seth Hawkins and Albert Pujokles were excited to be a part of the camp. Pujokles said, “I’ve learned a lot, but my favorite part is hitting, and I really like the computer thing where they put your picture on the screen next to a major league baseball player.”
“Yeah,” Hawkins said. “Ididn’t have any trouble getting out of bed early to come either. I’m used to it.”
Michael Alt of Plainview brought his son John to the camp. “John has really enjoyed this camp,” he said. “He hasn’t whined about having to get up early, and you know, we have a 45-minute drive.”
It’s no surprise that Denny McCrotty is coaching the grandchildren of some of his early players. As Brown praised the virtues of the camp, he paused. “You know, he started the whole thing up. There wasn’t baseball before Coach McCrotty,” he said.
From the stands, one could hear Will McCrotty address the players. “If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this camp, remember,” he said, waiting on the answer.
The kids shouted, “Hips lead the hands!” “That’s right,” he said.
“If I don’t use my hips, my hands will take over, and I will only hit grounders.”
Things got a little quiet after that. Will McCrotty was attempting to teach team-building skills to his players. He could be heard from the stands. “We’re all on the same team, guys.”
For more information on Mc-Crotty Baseball Camp, call Will McCrotty at (479) 858-8029. For more information on the Russellville Youth Baseball Association, call (479) 968-1272.
This article was published Thursday, June 19, 2008.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 66 on 06/19/2008
