Cincinnati Reds' youth summer camp makes return to Chillicothe

CHILLICOTHE − For the second year in a row, the Cincinnati Reds' youth baseball and softball camp came back to Chillicothe.

Boys and girls ranging in ages from six to 14 converged at Unioto Baseball Field throughout this past week to take part in a camp teaching them the fundamentals of both baseball and softball from members of the Reds' organization. The camp is in its 12th year of activity and welcomes players of every skill level.

Ross Lunsford, who heads camp throughout the summer months, said the camp can help not only newer players pick up the game, but also help more experienced players heighten their skills. Lunsford also said the camp aims to teach the campers skills they can take with them in their everyday life.

"Our goal here is to take kids who don't have a ton of experience and give them the basic understanding of what it means to be a good ballplayer, but also to take the experienced player and the very talented player and push them even further," Lunsford said. "And hopefully we can teach them something they can take with them into life. Being respectful, being on time, understanding that there's always room for improvement. Those are the big things that we try to focus on here."

The campers take part in six hours of instruction through each day of the camp, during which they practice skills like baserunning, fielding drills and batting and throwing exercises.

But there's also a bonus. On Wednesday, Lunsford and his staff took the kids on a day-trip to Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. There, they were able to walk through the dugouts and field, while also taking time to visit the Reds Hall of Fame and Museum. The children even got a chance to meet Reds pitcher Nick Lodolo, who visited the campers after a rehab appointment for a current injury in his left leg.

Mikey Short, 11, who attends Chillicothe Intermediate, said the camp has been a fun way to be outside around other baseball players.

"It's been so long and so fun," Short said. "It just keeps us from being home all day by ourselves."

The camp often travels around an area between Indianapolis, Columbus and Northern Kentucky throughout the summer, and spends a week in communities in those areas between Memorial Day Weekend through late August. Many of the camp instructors are also pulled from high schools and universities in the area.

Evan Juniper, a baseball player at Kentucky Christian University, has been working with the Reds' youth camp for two years. Juniper is an education major as well, and he says being able to share his knowledge and love of baseball provides him with a sense of reward.

"Baseball is just so universal," Juniper said. "Being able to teach even a kid that's in first grade something kind of translates even up through college baseball. I think that's the best experience for me, just being able to teach one thing that translates to everything."

Another instructor, Mason Rhodes, enjoys watching the growth some of the younger players go through during the camp's runtime. His little brother plays baseball, and Rhodes compared helping the campers to his brother.

Like Juniper, Rhodes has been with the camp for two years, and he even attended the camp in Chillicothe last year. Some of the campers even remembered him.

"It'll be pretty cool in the coming years when they're older, I can hear about them maybe in the paper or something like that," Rhodes said. "I've seen a couple from last year, and they remember me. Hopefully, that just keeps continuing."

Lunsford has enjoyed every year that the camp has come to Chillicothe, and he has especially appreciated the accommodations from Unioto High School. Both the baseball and softball fields are used for scrimmages, and the facilities at the fields

This is the camp's second year with Unioto, and Lunsford has appreciated all the work done by the school to help the camp prepare for each day. The preparedness from Unioto, in addition last year's camp, left such a positive impact on Lunsford he planned to start the year in Chillicothe once again.

"Every day we get here, the grass is cut, the field is lined, bases are ready. Everything's perfect," Lunsford said. "They really take care of us here. We really like to start off on a high note, and Chillicothe was our choice. We had such a great experience here last year. The kids were fantastic, facilities were great and we really wanted to kick it off here again."