Sports
White Sox Training Academy Visits Harvester Park
Sox Training Camp for baseball players and Little Sluggers Camp continue this week at Harvester Park.
Ten-year-old Jenna So of Darien already has played softball for about six years.
She still came away feeling that she made progress as a player thanks to attending last week’s White Sox Academy Fastpitch Camp July 18-22 at Harvester Park in Burr Ridge.
“(I’ve learned) you really should call the ball and catch with two hands,” So said.
“It’s good. (We’ve been) hitting, catching and pitching. The coaches are awesome. They’re just a lot of fun.”
The camp may have been fun, but there was plenty of instruction as well. Besides lead camp instructor Breann Schuh, there were three other coaches during the week providing specific instruction on pitching, catching, hitting, fielding and baserunning.
“I like to make sure the girls are doing all of the stuff that they need to be doing but having fun at the same time,” Schuh said.
“We start off doing fundamentals. From ground balls, throwing to hitting, for our throwing warmups, we start off with the basics. We always tell the girls you’re always in an athletic position the whole time you’re playing softball.”
So, who will be a fifth grader at Maercker School this fall, has played in softball leagues in Westmont and Darien, most recently the Darien Youth Club.
So usually plays pitcher or shortstop. So said she received pitching instruction at the camp from coach Suzie Rzegocki, a former standout pitcher for Lemont High School who just finished her collegiate career at Purdue University.
“Whenever I was in softball, I would pretty much be on the pitcher’s mound,” So said. “(This camp) taught you the five steps that you have to know because most of the girls just go their own way and you have to learn how to do it.”
The White Sox Academy has offered numerous camps throughout the Chicago area this summer in fastpitch softball. The camps at Harvester Park were for girls ages 7-12 and went from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
The White Sox Training Camp for baseball players ages 7-8 and Little Slugger Camps for boys and girls ages 5-6 began Monday at Harvester Park and will run through Friday.
Schuh also played softball at Lemont and has been with the White Sox Academy for seven years, first as a player. She’s been a head coach for White Sox Academy traveling softball teams the past three seasons and a camp instructor the last two. This week, Schuh is with her 11-and-under team at the United States Speciality Sports Association National Tournament World Series in Kissimmee, Fla.
Other coaches at the camp were hitting coach Christine Wozniak, head coach of the 16-and-under team, and catching coach Jacqueline Vitale, a former softball star at Lyons Township High School and Bradley University.
“At this age, all of the girls want to pitch. Not all of them want to catch but it’s a good thing to learn,” Schuh said. “If someone likes a position, we try to accommodate them so they can get better.”
Competitions for hitting, throwing and baserunning are held at all fastpitch and baseball camps. Those with the highest combined scores for their age groups receive certificates and an opportunity to compete in those skills again at U.S. Celluar Field, home of the Chicago White Sox.
With just eight campers at Harvester Park, one of the key fastpitch camp philosophies, communication on the field, was that much easier.
“We always tell them they’re calling the ball,” Schuh said. “A lot of girls ask why baseball players don’t call the ball. (We tell them) they’re more spread out in the field. We always tell them to tell your players where the ball is going. Be the leader. It always starts with the call. We tell them be confident and do what they can.”
“(We’ve learned) you really should call the ball and catch with two hands,” So added.
What was the hardest part of the camp? Obviously, it was the weather with the athletes battling high temperatures and heat indexes throughout the session.
“We’ve all toughened through it except one day we all were just all over the place," So said. "We kept going, but a lot of girls sat out and then they got back in and then other girls sat out and then they got back in."
The White Sox Academy also offers private lessons for softball and baseball teaching and fitness conditioning with local facilities in Lisle, Glen Ellyn and La Grange.
For more information on the remaining summer camps and other features of the Academy, visit www.bullssoxacademy.com or call (630) PLAY-BALL.
