The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Mario Ford Baseball Camp got a special treat on Saturday as professional baseball player Trent Deveaux took the time out to provide some instructions to the 30-plus campers at Windsor Field.

The camp, now in its 31st year, got started on March 4, but took place on March 11 due to the funeral service of the late Wardy Ford. But when the camp picked up on Saturday, organiser Mario Ford said he was delighted to have Deveaux in attendance.

“It was a good incentive for the young kids, especially those who want to go on to play professional baseball, especially as young as he is, sharing his experiences from where he came from starting in tee ball, moving up to coach pitch,” Ford said. “I remembered when he played in the 11-12 in the community baseball tournament and he hit a home run off my team. The kids were excited and it was a fun-filled day as he went through the fielding, throwing and batting drills with them.”

The highlight for the majority of the campers was when Deveaux actually got on the field and demonstrated his skills, playing against Ford and even pitching to each of the campers.

“It was a learning experience for everyone,” Ford said.

Deveaux, who also took the time out to address the campers on the fundamentals of the game and signed autographs for them after the practice sessions, will be leaving town on Friday for the Dominican Republic where he will begin preparing for his rookie season in the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organisation.

Deveaux, 16, who will be heading back to the Nogae Sports Nation Academy in preparation for his rookie season, said he was delighted to be a part of the camp.

“A lot of people can’t get out east where Freedom Farm and the Junior Baseball League of Nassau is located,” Deveaux said. “So with him reaching the kids within the community is really nice.

“I was willing to work with them because they were eager to learn.  There were a lot of first timers so I tried to teach them the fundamentals before we played a game. We tried to keep it fun and simple for them.”

Deveaux, a relative of Ford, said he was surprised by what he saw. “For those who were there for the first time, I saw a lot of future professional players and I’m definitely going to make some calls so that they won’t get lost,” he said. “Hopefully we can have some future professional players coming out of that camp.”

Deveaux, a student of Leadership Academy, said his main train of thought was to encourage the campers never to give up on their dream.

“You have to stay mentally strong. The game is 100 per cent mental,” he said. “No matter what your physical abilities are, if you don’t have it mentally, you won’t make it. So for me it’s 100 per cent mental.”

The camp, which features a number of new faces, will run through June 8. It will run from 9am to noon and is designed for boys and girls 4-15 years. Ford said he’s encouraging more parental assistance during the duration of the camp.