Summer Baseball Camp for Youth
Camp Activities:
Hitting, pitching, fielding, and base running. Both the mental
and physical fundamental baseball techniques will be included.
Camp Features:
Competitive drills, games, competition and evaluation for each
camp participant.
When/Who:
July 7-11 and July 21-25 2008, Monday-Friday, 9:00am-3:00pm
Ages 9-18 years old
What to Wear/Bring:
Baseball pants, t-shirt, glove, cleats and bats are optional.
Bring bag lunch, water coolers will be available on the field.
Cost:
$140.00 per player per week; $25.00 discount for each additional family member
or for additional week.
For more information, please contact Alicia Rachinskas at 410-287-6060, ext. 390.
A brochure and registration form can be downloaded below:
The following registration form requires Adobe Acrobat Reader:
Summer Baseball Camp Registration Form
5/9/08
Baseball Wins First State Title in 24 Years
The baseball team swept a doubleheader at Hagerstown, 8-3 and 7-2, on Wednesday to claim the program's first Maryland JUCO championship since 1984. The 32-14-1 Seahawks open play in the Region XX, Division II tournament May 16 at Frederick Community College. Yesterday's Cecil Whig has a recap of Wednesday's victories: http://www.cecilwhig.com/articles/2008/05/08/sports/02-cecil.txt.
4/28/08
Cecil College's Chris Emrey Signs with SCAD
Cecil College center fielder Chris Emrey of Newark, Del. has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball for NAIA Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. Emrey, a 2006 graduate of Hodgson Vocational Technical High School, has compiled a .333 batting average this season for the Seahawks with two home runs, five doubles, 29 RBIs and 28 runs. On the bases, he has been successful on 18 of 21 steal attempts.
"I would like to have 25 Chris Emreys on my team since he's focused on every pitch, plays hard, loves the game, and always gives you 100 percent," said Cecil coach Charlie O'Brien. "He beats out infield hits and forces errors because he goes so hard around the bases." Emrey was looking for a school where he could learn about computer animation while continuing his baseball career when Tony Wong, Cecil College associate professor of data processing, recommended he check out SCAD, which is known as an international leader in arts education.
"Chris was a model student who exhibited many of the qualities that we like to see in our students, and he was very creative and seemed to enjoy creating models in my Computer Animation I and II classes," said Wong. "I asked him where he was looking to go to school and since he had not found a good fit yet I suggested Savannah. SCAD has a great reputation and I have visited the campus." When the Seahawks opened their season in South Carolina in February, Emrey and his father took a side trip to Savannah to check out the college. "My cousin graduated from there about five years ago and she talked very highly of the school," said Emrey. "I really liked the campus and thought it was just awesome."
Savannah assistant coach Shawn Summe drove up to South Carolina to watch the Seahawks play Brunswick Community College and he also liked what he saw. "We are very excited about having Chris being part of our team and competing for an outfield spot," said Summe. "We really like his athletic ability. He has a real good knowledge of the game and runs very well."
O'Brien feels Savannah will be a perfect fit for Emrey who considered more than the warm climate when accepting the offer. "The kids all like going to the South, but it wasn't all about that," said O'Brien. "It was about the academics of the college first. The second factor was the school had to have a good baseball team. He is going to get a great job after he graduates from there," said O'Brien.
Emrey greatly credits Cecil College for preparing him to transfer. "I think if I just jumped into a four-year school, I would have been overwhelmed," said Emrey. "Cecil really prepared me athletically and academically for a future at SCAD."
12/18/07
Cecil College's Ryan Lynch Signs with Sacred Heart
Cecil College pitcher Ryan Lynch of North Babylon, N.Y. has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball for NCAA Division I Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. Lynch, who is graduating from Cecil in December with an associate degree in general studies, will enroll at Sacred Heart in January and begin playing for the Pioneers in the spring. After going 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA in his first season with the Seahawks, he went 2-2 with a 3.49 ERA in an injury-plagued sophomore year.
"I met with Sacred Heart's head coach, Nick Giaquinto, and a few of the players and everybody was so welcoming," said Lynch. "They have a nice campus close to my home and family, and it is the right fit for me. I had offers from other schools, but I feel like they give me the best opportunity to go in and help them out right away."
Lynch has not decided on a major but knows he would like to study something that prepares him for a career involving sports and teaching kids. A three-sport letterwinner in baseball, basketball and football at North Babylon High School, he is excited about the chance to play a little over an hour from his hometown.
Lynch greatly credits his experience at a junior college and his coach, Charlie O'Brien, for preparing him for the next level. "When I first came to Cecil I enjoyed baseball, but Coach O'Brien helped me understand the game better and now I love baseball," said Lynch. "I knew the athletic aspects of the game and now know the mental parts as well." According to O'Brien, Lynch possesses an above average fastball in the upper 80s, which tops out in the low 90s. O'Brien said his knuckle curve is his strikeout pitch which will greatly help him succeed at a four-year school.
"As far as academics, social life and everything else, as well as the athletics, I think Sacred Heart is the best program for Ryan," said O'Brien. "They're looking for a front-line starter, and he'll step in and be that guy to throw a lot of innings. When he first came here, he was more of a person who was just athletic and tried to overpower people. Then he learned how to pitch. I think the two years here helped him a lot."
11/15/07
Cecil College's Tyler Bugna Signs with Towson
Cecil College pitcher Tyler Bugna of Patterson, N.Y. has signed a National Letter of Intent to play baseball for NCAA Division I Towson University. Bugna, who will transfer to Towson in fall 2008, went 3-3 with a 3.23 ERA while striking out 30 batters in 43 2/3 innings in his first season with the Seahawks. He turned in one of his finest outings in a regional playoff win over Community College of Baltimore County Catonsville by allowing two earned runs and fanning five hitters in seven innings of work.
"The combination of what Towson has to offer for athletics and academics is a great fit for what I am looking for," said Bugna who will major in sport management. "I have a real nice feel for the campus. It's a good size and close enough to home that my parents can come down and watch me throw. Whether they want to me to be a starter or a reliever, my goal is to help them any way I can."
Bugna, a graduate of Carmel High School, was also largely influenced by Towson's coaching staff which was highly endorsed by his future teammates who he has spent some time with. He feels the experience of playing at a junior college will greatly aid his transition to the next level. "Since I arrived at Cecil, I am in better physical condition and am bigger and stronger," said Bugna. He and his parents, Rich and Joyce, all give a great deal of credit to his coach at Cecil, Charlie O'Brien, for preparing him for the next level.
"There were more than 20 Division I and II schools recruiting Tyler and he loves Towson," said O'Brien. "I think it is a perfect fit for him socially, academically and baseball-wise. I am 100 percent confident he will be successful there." Before Bugna leaves Cecil, O'Brien is counting on a big sophomore campaign from one of his top starters who is on track to graduate in May with an associate degree in general studies. During the Seahawks' fall season, O'Brien noticed an improved command on the mound from the right-hander who throws a fastball around 90 mph as well as a curveball and a changeup.
"Tyler really wanted to make his decision in the fall about who to sign with," said O'Brien. "I think it's going to greatly help in the spring that he is focused just on pitching for Cecil and not having to worry about where he is going the following year."
7/16/07
Cecil College to Name Baseball Field after Coach Brockell
When Dick Brockell began his first of 20 seasons as Cecil College's head baseball coach in 1978, the Seahawks practiced in the basement of the library and did not have a field of their own. Today, Cecil has a fine field on its North East campus and it will soon bear the name of Brockell who compiled a 404-201-2 record guiding the baseball team. Initiated by a gift of $5,000 from Dave Williams, owner of Williams Auto Mall in Elkton, Md., the college has begun a fundraising drive to raise an additional $30,000 to purchase a new scoreboard which will prominently recognize the program's long-time mentor. "It's one of the highlights of my entire baseball career which started when I was 15 years old," said Brockell. "I have two grandchildren and it means even more to me now than it would have before they were born. It also tells me that somewhere along the line I did something right."
Brockell's initial squad in 1978 consisted of just 11 players, including the scorekeeper who popped up in his lone plate appearance, and had only nine people with experience. Despite these shortcomings, the Seahawks went 21-7 and were just one out away from a trip to the NJCAA World Series. Two members of his original team played professional baseball, including pitcher Steve Oliver who was signed on the field by the Oakland Athletics immediately after the conclusion of the regional final that left Cecil narrowly shy of the national tournament. Catcher Mike McCardell later signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds.
Cecil captured Maryland JUCO Conference titles in 1983 and 1984, tied for another in 1991, and was the Region XX runner-up four times. The Seahawks were 64-12 in conference play from 1982 to 1986. The 1986 team went 32-11 overall and its .404 batting average was the second highest in the country. Competing as a Division I program, Cecil posted a winning record in 19 of Brockell's 20 seasons and was nationally ranked in at least one statistical category in 17 of the years. The Seahawks were just one game short of an even mark in 1979 at 13-14-1.
Williams has been a longtime friend and supporter of Brockell and Cecil's baseball team. Before the college had a field, Williams made it possible for the school to play at Eder Park in Elkton. "We had a pretty good little league field there and I was the groundskeeper, so all they had to do was show up and play," said Williams who downplays the substantial impact he has had on the program. Brockell is highly grateful to Williams for both his friendship and how he has helped behind the scenes, such as spending countless hours on the baseball diamond being named for his buddy. "Dave has done a thousand things for our field," said Brockell. "He has laid sod and poured concrete in the dugouts. One of the most prideful things I took about coaching here was that the field was always playable. You can shoot marbles on that infield."
Including Oliver and McCardell, 12 of Brockell's Cecil College players were drafted and signed by Major League Baseball organizations. The others were Larry Lewis, Greg Mayse, Joe Vanaskey, Jeff Vickers, Jeff Bonsall, Bill Dorsey, Norman Bromley, Jeff Forgione, Rob Mayse and Wayne Franklin. Oliver, McCardell, Bonsall and Franklin were also NJCAA All-Americans, while Franklin has pitched seven seasons in the big leagues going 14-16 for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves from 2000 to 2006.
Brockell takes even more satisfaction in the program's off-field accomplishments than in what it achieved on the diamond. "We always stressed education," said Brockell. "About 150 of our players moved onto four-year colleges after going to Cecil." He is most proud of having the opportunity to coach his son Rick Brockell, a pitcher and first baseman for the Seahawks in 1996 and 1997. The '97 squad returned from a spring break trip to Cocoa Beach, Fla. with a perfect 7-0 record and celebrated with a specially made keychain which the former coach still carries with him today. The Seahawks won seven more games upon their return home to begin the season with a 14-0 record. Rick, who works for Wells Fargo, transferred to Wilmington College where he was an All-American.
Brockell took on additional duties as athletic director in 1985 and held both positions until his retirement in 1998. As athletic director, he continued to encourage life-long learning with athletics being an integral part of the total experience. Cecil's varsity offerings increased from four to nine sports, and he implemented a student-athlete monitoring system that led to a near perfect retention rate.
Two of Brockell's baseball players are current members of Cecil's athletic department, including the athletic director, Ed Durham, and baseball coach, Charlie O'Brien. Durham was a member of Brockell's squads in 1982 and 1983, and he returned to Cecil College in 1995 as an assistant men's basketball coach to Bill Lewit who was also hired then.
"I have always felt strongly about naming the field after him because he gave me an opportunity," said Durham whose father played baseball with Brockell. "In August 1981 I was working on my family's farm and still had no idea where I was going to college. When I came inside the house one night, he was sitting at the table and told me he was going to give me an opportunity to play." Not only did Brockell see the potential for Durham to perform as an athlete and a student, but he predicted the future profession for the Middletown, Del. native who was named athletic director in 2004. "I can remember being in his office as a student and he said 'someday you'll be sitting in this chair,' " said Durham. "He reiterated it again when I came back in 1995."
O'Brien played for the Seahawks in 1984 and 1985 and later succeeded Brockell as head coach. "Every guy who has played on that field has a lot of memories and he is the reason for them," said O'Brien who was recruited by Brockell out of Saint Mark's High School in Wilmington, Del. "I think I have the best job in the world coaching baseball at Cecil, and I wouldn't be where I am today without him. I am loving every minute of it and trying to do what he did for me for as many people as I can."
Brockell earned a scholarship to Washington College, where he lettered in baseball and basketball. He signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1954 and played in the organization until he was drafted into the Army in 1957. Brockell, who was stationed in Germany for two years, returned to the Pirates in 1959. His contract was purchased by the Cincinnati Reds in 1961, and he remained with the franchise until injuries ended his playing career in 1964.
Brockell came back to Cecil County and worked as a sports writer and editor for several local newspapers, including the Cecil Whig and some publications in Delaware. He was also a radio sportscaster in the area. Brockell lives in Elkton with his wife Joan who he said knows the game as well as anybody. He runs a fall baseball program at Eder Park, which has been instrumental in sending people to college. Many of his fall players have come to Cecil, including Corey Sadler of Elkton High School and Lenny Poore of North East High School who recently signed with the Seahawks.
Anyone interested in contributing to the Cecil College scoreboard drive should contact Kelly Jackson at 410-287-1053 or kellyjackson@cecil.edu.
