June 28, 2011

St. Louis Cardinals pitchers Kyle McClellan and Adam Wainwright, made appearances last week at The Fieldhouse Summer Baseball Camp at Hazelwood’s Sports Complex.  They answered questions asked by many of the 55 youngsters, ages 5-12, who signed up for this year’s event in Hazelwood.

The Redbird hurlers also signed autographs on everything from baseballs to baseball caps, bats to photographs, and baseball cards to shirts on the kids’ backs.         This is the third year that The Fieldhouse Training Center has hosted a summer baseball camp at Hazelwood’s Sports Complex.  Each year registration has grown, making it one of the best attended baseball camps in the North County area.

The 2011 camp was held June 20-24 and directed by Matt McClellan, Hazelwood West High School (HWHS) varsity baseball coach and Kyle’s brother..  Along with assistance from past and current HWHS baseball players, McClellan helped teach participants the fundamentals of baseball such as hitting, fielding, pitching, base running, catching and bunting.  Each day session began at 9 a.m. and ended at noon.

A question-and-answer session with McClellan and Wainwright gave the kids an opportunity to ask them about what it’s like to be a major league pitcher.  One youngster asked McClellan which pitch was his favorite. McClellan replied, “Whatever gets them out…If I had to pick one, I would say it’s my curve ball.”

Another camper asked Wainwright about his arm.  Wainwright’s response was encouraging news for Cardinal Nation.  “My arm feels better. I had surgery on it about 4-1/2 months ago.  I’m scheduled to start throwing again on Monday,” he said.  The Hazelwood Parks and Recreation Division has developed a mutually beneficial partnership with The Fieldhouse Training Center, which is located at 5422 Eagle Industrial Court in Hazelwood.

Terry McClellan, Kyle’s father, owns the facility and has been working closely with Hazelwood’s recreational supervisor Greg Viehman who oversees the Sports Complex activities.  Their goal is to improve the quality of baseball in the area and to strengthen Hazelwood’s youth baseball program.

Redbird Hurlers Visit Summer Baseball Camp,    Kyle McClellan grew up in Hazelwood and started playing baseball on the same diamonds where the kids had their summer baseball camp this week.  He graduated from Hazelwood West High School and accomplished his dream of becoming a professional sports athlete and playing for the St. Louis Baseball Cardinals.

McClellan makes appearances at the Summer Baseball Camp as a way of giving something back to his hometown community.  He wants young people, who love to play the game of baseball, to know that if they work hard enough and pay attention to the advice given by their coaches, they too can make their dream come true.

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