Contributed Story
MONTICELLO — March 23, 2010 — Thirty-three children from around the Monticello Central School District spent the past three Sundays participating in the second annual Future Panthers Baseball Camp at Monticello High School under the direction of second year Varsity Coach Mike Marra, Junior High Coach Tim Havas and the Monticello Panthers varsity baseball team.
The camp was filled with fun, excitement and baseball instruction. Fourteen of the 18 current Monticello varsity players shared knowledge with the campers and packed the day with drills and games.
In addition, every camper got their Monticello baseball T-shirt courtesy of the Monticello Kiwanis Club and a wristband courtesy of Mizuno.
The campers received an evaluation card and skill development booklet to use in their free time to practice their skills.
The players took the campers through their daily stretching routine. Once the future Panthers were limber, they were broken up into five groups that rotated from station to station to learn the different skills needed in baseball.
They were sent through five defensive and five offensive stations: Infield Play/Bunting with Bobby Wagner, Connor Briggs and Connor Picariello; Throwing Mechanics/Baserunning with Serafin Rodriguez, Shane Jackson, Chandler Williams and Steve Cannavo; Outfield Play/Hitting with Anthony D’Abbraccio, Anthony Gray and Gio Laguna; Pitching/Hitting with Jesse Levine and Sean Reuss and Catching/Hitting with Justin Larchevesque and Chris Schnabel.
After the campers made it through the instructional rotations, they participated in an indoor baseball game. They also received their evaluation and skill development books along with a Future Panther Membership Card.
“This is a great opportunity for our kids to give back to the community by teaching our Little League kids the proper fundamentals of baseball,” Camp Director Mike Marra said. “Our players get great satisfaction in giving their time to these kids. There are a lot of places high school kids could be on a Sunday, and for our players to be here for three hours the past three Sundays says how committed they are to the younger kids making their way up through the ranks.”