James Tucker, 10, takes a swing on the balance beam at the KU baseball Spring Training camp Monday at Anschutz Pavillion.

While many students at Kansas University left town to hit the beaches of Cancun and Padre Island for spring break, 123 area youth ranging from first- through eighth-grades spent a portion of their vacation in a different way. Last Monday and Tuesday these youngsters took part in Kansas University’s Jayhawk Baseball Spring Training Camp held at Hoglund Ballpark and Anschutz Pavilion.

Wet weather on Tuesday prevented the campers from getting to play on the field like they had done the day before, but the rainy conditions didn’t dampen the atmosphere inside Anschutz Pavilion.

“There’s a lot of energy here, there’s no doubt about it,” said Kansas coach Ritch Price. “If they like the game more than when they got here, they’re going to keep playing and keep working and have a chance to be the best player they can be.”

Besides getting free shirts, autographs and free admission to KU’s doubleheader against Northern Colorado on Wednesday, the kids also got to go onto the field with the KU players during the National Anthem.

But more importantly the camp gave youngsters the opportunity to enhance their baseball skills by performing a wide range of drills, including hitting, playing infield and outfield, baserunning, pitching and catching.

“You’ve got to make a commitment to being a ballplayer,” Price told the group before the start of Tuesday’s session. Price emphasized that baseball players needed to play throughout the year to maintain their skills. Coincidentally, the camp coincides with many area baseball tryouts set for this spring.

“We’re trying with the kids that are out of school to give them a chance to get ready for the start of their little leagues,” Price said. “I think it’s a really good opportunity for them to get themselves ready to go for their tryouts.”

Two aspects of the game Price stressed was the importance of balance and proper athletic position. Price said teaching basic fundamentals like these are crucial to playing well in any sport.

Ten-year-old Casey Hearnen said that while learning proper batting and steal stances were important parts of the game, there is one area of camp that he enjoyed the most.

“Hitting is a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s really fun with all the coaches and KU players.”

Hearnen said he learned he needed to make a few adjustments at the plate. One such adjustment was to make sure his arm and elbow did not get too close to his body as he swung so he could hit the ball off the sweet spot of the bat.

Ten-year-old James Tucker also took home a few hitting tips of his own. Tucker practiced a few swings inside the batting cages while standing on a short balance beam. The balance beam helped keep batters from lunging at the ball so they could maintain balance and follow through properly during a swing.

Tucker said the balance beam was pretty fun and his favorite parts of camp were hitting in the cages and catching pop flies.

“Our big thing is we’re trying to make sure they have a great time,” Price said. “I think (with) kids at this age it’s really important to have fun, so every drill we try to do we try to make sure they can learn something but also respond to it with energy and enthusiasm.”

One station that was primed with excitement was the baserunning station manned by KU outfielder Nick Faunce and infielder Ross Kelling. The two players instructed the kids on some of the finer aspects of running the bases, such as having a wide steal stance, how to stay alive when running in a pickle and touching the outside part of their foot on the inside part of the bag when they run the bases.

While running may be dreadful for some, one group of kids turned a somewhat daunting task into a cheerful experience by convincing the two KU players to let kids run a full-team medley-style relay. The group broke off into two groups and raced against each other, but instead of passing the baton, they passed the baseball from teammate to teammate.

“It’s baserunning,” Kelling said. “Trying to keep running fun is hard. Running at any age is never fun.”

Kelling, a native of Kansas City, Mo., spoke fondly of memories from his first baseball camp as a youngster. Kelling attended a KU camp, and he still has the video of himself hitting in the batting cages. And helping these youngsters make memories similar to his own – and getting the chance to take a break from the grind of baseball for a short while – was something he looked forward to.

“I think it’s nice,” Kelling said. “You’re getting away from baseball, but at the same time you’re not because you’re here doing the same things you are in practice. But it’s kind of fun passing it on to a younger group of kids and teaching them all the skills that we learned at their age.”