By GRAHAM BROOKS / Staff Writer

HELENA–It may be the dead of summer, but the baseball and softball fields were alive and well the week of June 18, as 48 campers received plenty of instruction on the game of baseball for the Helena youth summer baseball camp.

In just four seasons, the Helena High School varsity baseball program has already established itself as one of the top programs in the state of Alabama, and for three days, children aspiring to learn the fundamentals of baseball had the chance to attend a summer baseball camp and learn from HHS coaches and players.

The camp was held for children between the ages of 6-12 and was highlighted by instruction from Helena High School head baseball coach P.J. Guy and several varsity players. Guy has amassed a record of 127-55 in four seasons at Helena that includes a state championship in 2017 and two runner-up finishes in 2015 and 2018. Guy has also been awarded Shelby County Coach of the Year the past two seasons for his accomplishments.

Some of the highlights of the camp included learning the defensive fundamentals of the game on day one which featured drills for fielding ground balls, fly balls, a pitching station, a throwing program station, a double play station and then finishing by competing in games against each other.

Day two focused on hitting stations, base running, short toss hitting, points for hitting and more.

To round out the camp, day three was designed for competitions including fielding ground balls, bunting, a throwing game, team games and topped off by pulling out a big tarp for kids to slide on and have fun.

Guy said it means a lot for the varsity players to help out with the camp because he knows the younger kids in the community look up to the older guys.

“I think it’s good for our kids to interact with them because we know that our younger kids look up to our older kids who are out here playing,” Guy said. “It’s also good for our older kids too because they can come back and give back to the community. They were once that age too growing up in this town but I think it’s just as important for our current kids to come out and give back and invest in them because this community has been so good to us.”

For more information on other summer camps and to register, visit Podcasts.shelbyed.k12.al.us/hlhs-athletics/summer-camps/.