Buck's Baseball Camp ends Week in Sweat and Smiles

The week of July 15th through the 19th was not just another week in the summer for many local baseball players. It was a week in the heat, humidity, and turf of Penders Field for some 45 campers attending the annual Buck’s Baseball camp supported by the Stratford Police Activities League and the Town of Stratford Recreation Department.

Stratford High Baseball Coach Mick Buckmir, his Assistant Coach Skip Lance and a host of players including post graduate Zach Rider along with post graduate from Bunnell High School Luke Ryan took charge of three groups of skill building players ranging in ages from 6 to 14.

Without question the Penders Field namesake Mr James Penders would have been proud of what he was seeing taking place all over the complex as the entire field was covered in complete instruction and drill work to make these youngsters better at their skills in baseball.

Penders revolutionized sports in the Town of Stratford midway through the 20th century by believing in competing at a high level in any sport, organizing camps at numerous locations town wide where each site would travel to see who was the best with the ultimate Championships held at Longbrook Park.

In 1971 the field was named after Penders for his decades of dedication to the youth of Stratford.

As the 2024 edition of Buck’s camp got underway on Monday Skip Lance was talking about those Penders days while each camp attendee checked themselves in with Mia Noisette and Jeremy Susi of the recreation department.

Both Susi and Noisette had a team of helpers from the recreation department to assist in the instruction and safety of each attendee.

The camp was broken down into three groups with each group moving to an assigned area for further practice and instruction.

On the big diamond it was the 12-14 year olds who were involved in a very high tempo and energy workout for three hours each morning. Drill after drill took place both on the defensive side of the field as well as the offensive side of the ball. Numerous stations were set up and several pieces of equipment were utilized.

Along the bleacher section Rider and Ryan led a group of 9,10, and 11 year olds where they furthered their abilities in fundamentals of the game and the necessities to be successful as they move onto the next level of play. Lots of hand eye coordination and competitive drills kept this group on their toes.

The most spirited group were the little rascals of the 6,7, and 8 year olds where Lance, a master of instruction and innovation within the game of baseball for that age group, had that group cheering the entire time each day. It could be said this group learned a lot about the game within the game as facial determination highlighted the week.

Lance was assisted by Officer Matt of the Stratford Police Department and Ethan Hill, of Stratford High Baseball.

The camp also recognized the following for their donation of time in providing a week full of fun and excitement:
Jake Haddad, Ty Bonaventura, Cody Gallant, Eli Jimenez, Xavier Lendof, Max Owen, Josh Tiberio, Evan Wendland, Jason Booker, Jayden Cordero, Brayan Fernandez, Patrick Lesczcynski, Blake Merfalen, Jack Wiltsie, Joey Blaine, and Christian Ramirez.

On Friday guest appearances were made by Darien Baseball Head Coach Mike Scott. Scott was a UCONN standout as well as a Detroit Tiger draft pick.

Also peeking in was Kendall Hodge. Hodge is known in town as the hitting guru from Brooklyn, NY. . Hodge spent time in the minor leagues and continues to swing the bat in the local area.

The camp completed its eighth year of action during a week where temperatures soared into the 90's with very high humidity and dew point levels. As these players stepped onto the field each day all of the discomfort took a back seat and many friendships started in the game they have come to know and appreciate.