Only a couple months after the high school baseball season ended, Starr’s Mill assistant baseball coach Lee Phelps finds himself back on the baseball field, directing the Little T-Ball Camp for the Fayette County Parks and Recreation Department at Kiwanis Field in Fayetteville.

Phelps, along with another Starr’s Mill assistant baseball coach, Derrick Laney, has been teaching kids from Fayetteville the basic fundamentals of baseball this summer. This week’s camp, running from Monday to today, includes 11 4- to 6-year-olds, and last week’s five-day camp included eight 3- to 4-year-olds.

“We’re teaching the kids how to throw and how to hit,” Phelps said. “We’re starting from the ground up, teaching the kids where first, second and third base are, where to run and what the different positions on the field are. We want the kids to have fun learning the game.”

Phelps and Laney’s involvement in this year’s camp started when Debbie Parrish, athletic coordinator for the Fayette County Parks and Recreation Department, sent an e-mail out to all the baseball coaches in the county in the spring. Phelps and Laney jumped at the opportunity.

“Derrick and I happened to be the first to respond to Debbie’s e-mail,” Phelps said. “We thought it would be a fun idea. It also would allow us to make some extra money during the summer.

Working with these kids gives us a good reputation as coaches at the high school level, as well.”

Phelps also decided to direct the camp because he feels too many kids are sedentary during their summer vacation from school.

“More and more kids are staying at home, playing video games and not having fun outside,” Phelps said. “We wanted to get them off the sofa and to enjoy baseball.”

The feedback Phelps has received from the kids’ parents has been nothing but positive.

“Last week, according to the response surveys we got back, the parents really liked everything,” Phelps said. “The parents said we made it fun. They said the camp was really organized.”
Overall, it has been an enjoyable experience for Phelps.

“It’s a lot of fun working with these kids,” Phelps said. “We have a good mix of kids who have played before and kids who haven’t played before. We have some good ballplayers here who are fun to work with.”

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