The Lake Oconee Academy baseball program held a youth camp earlier last week to try and bring some enthusiasm back to the sport.
The camp saw about 25 to 30 kids between third and eighth grade in attendance working on multiple drills at the plate and on the field.
New LOA head coach Mark Miller was impressed with the overall talent level he saw.
“They were a good bunch of boys. They all knew how to play baseball,” Miller said. “I didn’t have to worry about any kids getting hurt, and even some of the eighth-graders helped coach some of the younger kids up.”
Miller appreciated the older kids in the camp stepping up because it showed the younger players' leadership. This paid off once the group went into developing their skills.
These drills included taking ground balls in the infield, reading the ball off the bat in the outfield and even learning how to lay down a bunt.
Fundamentals are the biggest focus for Miller, and he believes it will ultimately benefit the program in the long run.
“My overall coaching style, when it comes to baseball, is making sure we have a lot of pitching depth and a lot of good fundamental baseball,” Miller said. “Some people might call it ‘old school’, but we’re going to learn how to put the ball in play when we’re hitting, we’re going to know how to bunt, learn how to run bases properly and overall just work hard.”
This will be Miller’s first year as the Titans’ head coach, and regardless of what level of competition he’s coaching, he wants to make sure the kids remember to have as much fun as possible so they can enjoy the game of baseball.