Young 'Cats shine at Bobcat Baseball Camp

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Young 'Cats shine at Bobcat Baseball Camp

Van Wade

The Orange Leader

ORANGEFIELD — Jeff Bennett expected a nice little crowd at the Bobcat Baseball Camp this week, but the Orangefield head baseball coach certainly didn’t expect as many happy smiling faces as he saw Monday morning.

Almost 50 inspired, young future Bobcats have made their way to camp and Bennett is elated.

“It’s truly amazing to have this many kids,†Bennett said. “They all seem to be having so much fun. We sure are keeping them busy, this week anyway. They’re learning about the game and they’re getting to meet some new friends.â€

Bennett has the kids broke down in three different groups. There is the high-energy 5 to 8 year-old group; the 9 to 11 year-old group that has gained a little experience in the Little League ranks; and then there is the 12 year-olds up to incoming freshman group that are there to hone their skills.

“Our groups evened out well, about 16 per group,†said Bennett. “The first couple days we’ve focused mainly on the fundamentals, hitting, catching, timing and infield and outfield work. The last two days we’ll be timing them on the bases, working on pitching and such. We try to balance things out pretty well.â€

The little ones are the ones that keep the coaches busy. Matt Cooper, a former Bobcat standout that graduated last month might have been the busiest, working with the 5 to 8 year-old group.

“That’s the group that is the most challenging, but they’re the most fun too,†Cooper said. “They bring all kinds of energy. Once you keep them in line, everything is pretty much smooth after that. It seems like they love the sport. They ask a lot of questions. I’ve heard ‘What if I get hit in the face with the ball’, and I just tell them, ‘That’s what your glove is for.’ “

Cooper is thrilled with the turnout.

“I wasn’t expecting this big of a group and it’s been great,†Cooper said. “I’ve been at these camps for awhile and I’ve never seen so many kids. Hopefully it will just continue to expand to even bigger things.â€

Bennett is glad Cooper is there to lend a helping hand.

“Matt is a great kid, to come out here on his own time and help the kids out,†said Bennett. “It takes someone special to work with the kids, especially the younger kids. Matt has a lot of patience. He’s probably having the most fun out here. There never is a dull moment with that group.â€

Bennett knows all about working with youngsters. His Bobcat squad was the youngest in District 21-3A last season. The Bobcats had four freshman that received a huge amount of playing time as the future looks solid.

“We’re going to be young again next year, even though we have some young experience coming back,†Bennett said. “We still have what will be a small senior and junior class. We’ll have about six or seven sophomore that will need to make solid contributions and a pretty good little freshman group coming in.â€

Bennett feels he has plenty of future Bobcats waiting in the wings with the success of this year’s camp.

“We want to set a foundation with this camp,†Bennett said. “We’re discussing with the kids about the success of Bobcat teams in the past. It can be done here. Playoffs are part of the school’s history. The kids need to realize they can compete with the Bridge Citys, Jaspers and Silsbees. I see a lot of determination in the kids’ eyes out here and that’s great to see.â€