By Justin Fedich | The Selma Times-Journal

The turnout at Saturday morning’s baseball camp at Bloch Park far exceeded the expectations of those who put it together.

More than 100 kids showed up for the first baseball camp at Bloch Park hosted by the Selma Recreation Department and All In Sports Outreach. Volunteer coaches included college baseball coaches and players, youth baseball coaches and minor league baseball player Kevin Simmons.

“Everybody that is a volunteer coach wants to be here, wants to help these kids and wants to help them get better at the game of baseball, but also at the same time show them that there is more to baseball,” said Selma Recreation department baseball director Jamie Tellier.

Kids from ages 7 to 16 worked on their fielding, hitting and pitching Saturday. Some kids were learning baseball for the first time while others had been playing for years.

Coaches and players from Concordia College Alabama and Selma University volunteered their time not only to show young kids the fundamentals of baseball, but also to give the kids an example of where they can be if they work hard.

“It gives the kids something to look forward to,” said Selma University baseball head coach Adrian Holloway. “They see these guys out here, and they’re like, ‘Wow, we can go play college baseball one day as well.’”

Simmons, a Selma native who is now a minor league pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks, said he hopes at least one of the kids who came to the baseball camp can reach the level he’s achieved when they grow up.

“It’s great to come out here and support these kids and hopefully they get the chance that I got to live,” Simmons said.

While there was plenty of activity Saturday, the coaches took the down time to teach kids about faith and how that can be tied into sports. All in Sports Outreach co-founder Stewart Hardy said the day was much more about learning how to throw and catch.

“We’re talking about discipline and determination, what that means in life and in sports and we’re teaching them some Bible verses that go along with that, tying in how to be stronger in their faith and walk with Christ as well,” Hardy said.

Hardy is also hopeful that the strong turnout will add popularity to Selma’s youth baseball program.

“We’re hoping that this will help get more kids into the game of baseball as well for the city,” Hardy said.

Tellier said the goal was to have 75 to 100 kids come to the camp, but between the surprisingly high number of kids who registered and the outpouring of support from coaches all around Selma, Tellier couldn’t have been more pleased.

“The support that we’ve gotten has just blown my mind,” Tellier said.

After seeing the support the baseball camp was able to gather, Tellier said he wants to do at least one of these baseball camps every year from now on. Currently, a softball camp is in the works.

Tellier said the softball camp is expected to take place in a few months.