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Five-Star camp offers first-class teaching

Thursday, July 20, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Ian Hurley⁄the gazette Former University of Maryland softball player Jill Callaway (right) talks to players Monday during the Five-Star Softball Camp at Braden Field in Greenbelt.

Monday and Tuesday afternoon, nearly 60 young women braved the hot, humid conditions to participate in numerous drills overseen by a deep coaching staff that includes former University of Maryland players Jill Callaway, Danielle Carpenter, Liz Gall. Also among the camp staff are Elizabeth Seton High School coach Rita Horning and Clarissa Crowell, who was recently hired as the pitching coach at Oklahoma State University.

Callaway, a graduate of Grace Brethren Christian School in Clinton, runs the Five-Star camps each summer at Maryland, Northern High School, Waldorf and Braden.

In addition to learning bunting and slap hitting techniques, campers ranging from 11 to 16 also watch tapes of the Women’s College World Series and play in games against one another during the last hour of the camp.

‘‘We try to make sure that all of the girls learn something every day from all of the drills,” Callaway said. ‘‘That’s why I have so many instructors, so they can work with the girls as closely as possible. All of the coaches here are either coaches now or they played college softball recently. It’s a great opportunity for the girls to learn the game from young women who played at a high level. Even during the games, we’ll stop and discuss the situation so they’ll understand what’s taking place.”

Crowell, who spent the past year at Syracuse University as an assistant softball coach, will be leaving the area next month to become the new pitching coach at Oklahoma State, a perennial power in the Big 12 conference. Crowell, who won four state championships at McDonough High School in Pomfret during the 1990s before attending Virginia Tech, enjoys teaching at the camps even on days that are oppressively hot.

‘‘These camps are all very informative for the girls,” Crowell said. ‘‘They’ll have the chance to learn a lot about softball. It’s great having this type of turnout. It’s been hot the last couple of days, but we make sure the girls have enough water before they go back onto the field. Jill does a great job putting these camps together. People don’t realize how much hard work goes into running these camps and doing them well.”

Audrey Berard, a sophomore at Seton, has been attending the Five-Star Camps for four years and is eager to earn a spot on Horning’s varsity squad next spring. Berard, whose cousin Maureen Berard was a standout softball player at Seton High, admits she has benefited from the camps in numerous ways.

‘‘The coaching that we get here is really good,” Berard said. ‘‘We work on hitting, throwing, fielding and catching. I usually play second base. I like playing there because you get a lot of balls hit to you. I made varsity at tryouts last year, but I went to JV so I could play. You learn more by playing than by watching.”

Laurel resident Kelly Trimble, a freshman at Pallotti High, hails from a family with extensive baseball and softball experience. Trimble, who plays travel ball for the Beltway Blast and the Savage Storm, is looking to fill some big shoes next spring as Pallotti’s catcher.

She is hoping to secure the job previously held by Katherine Kimble, a Star⁄Gazette first-team choice this past spring, and Christina Smith, a four-time Star⁄Gazette first-team choice from 2001-04.

‘‘My goal is to make the Pallotti varsity team this year,” said Trimble, who recently graduated from the adjacent St. Mary of the Mills School. ‘‘These camps have really helped me cut back on passed balls and helped me with my throws down to second base and third base. My hitting has also really improved. My batting average spiked and it’s staying there.”

E-mail Ted Black at tblack@gazette.net.