Feb. 4, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State head baseball coach Jim Brownlee and his staff have announced the dates for the upcoming summer baseball clinics, including the High School Advanced Skills Camp, Aug.16-17. Participants can find downloadable forms for all of the summer clinics by clicking on the camps link on the left sidebar of the front page of GoRedbirds.com.
The advanced skills camp is a great opportunity for high school-aged players (grades 10-12) who aspire to play baseball at the collegiate level. The two-day camp, held from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., is offered in order to teach players what it takes to be successful at both the high school and collegiate levels through offensive and defensive instruction, in addition to discussion about the recruiting process and baseball-specific strength training. Each camper will also get the opportunity to play in two scrimmage games during the all-day sessions.
Due to the construction of the new ISU baseball stadium, Redbird baseball has partnered with Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Ill., to host the advanced skills camp at Jack Horenberger Field. The cost for the camp is $200, with spots filling up quickly.
The Redbird baseball coaching staff will also offer two sessions of the offense/defense camp, which will be held at the McLean County Pony Baseball Complex. The camp's primary goal is to teach participants (ages 11-17) the basic fundamentals of both offense and defense. Each camp session will begin with instruction on throwing mechanics, defensive play and hitting mechanics, and will finish with a game. Session 1 will run June 9-12 from 9 a.m.-noon, and cost for the camp is $125. The deadline for the first session is June 6.
Session 2 of the offense/defensive camp (June 23-26) will also be held from 9 a.m.-noon at the Pony Baseball Complex. The cost is $125 per participant and the deadline to register is June 20.
For players ages 9-17 years old that want to improve their games either on the mound or behind the plate, the ISU baseball coaching staff will offer two sessions of the pitching/catching camp at the Pony Baseball Complex. Pitching instruction will focus on proper catch routine, basic pitching mechanics, and arm care, and catching instruction will focus on basic set-up, as well as receiving, blocking and throwing mechanics. Session 1 will be held June 9-12 from 1-3 p.m., and the deadline to sign up is June 6. The deadline to register for Session 2 is June 20, while the cost for each session is $125.
For younger baseball players (ages 6-10), the developmental camp will cover all aspects of fundamental baseball, including proper throwing mechanics and catch routine. Participants will receive instruction on defensive play (at all positions) and all offensive skills will also be covered. The camp runs June 16-19 at the Pony Baseball Complex and costs $125 per participant. The deadline to register is June 13.
Assistant baseball coach Mike Current believes that the ISU baseball clinics offer participants unique experiences, different to most other baseball clinics.
"The participants have the opportunity to get some one-on-one instruction with our staff that is not available at most clinics," said Current. "They will finish the camps knowing where they stand in their development as a player, and will have recommendations on how to get better in the future."
For more information on any of the upcoming summer clinics, please contact Current at (309) 438-3338 or via e-mail at mpcurre@ilstu.edu.
