SMHS SOFTBALL
Players and coaches help put on local summer camp
The San Marcos Rattlers wrapped up their 2024 Summer Camp last week, which helps teach young players the fundamentals of playing softball.
Led by Head Coach Cathy Stoughton, the camp was run by both players and coaches alike.
“We do a little bit of everything,” Stoughton said. “From pitching, hitting, baserunning and making sure we hit on the important points.”
With the sessions divided up between 1st grade through 5th grade and 6th grade through 9th grade, the camp allows players from different levels of play to understand the game and learn how they can improve.
“We just want them to work on fundamentals, and we try to tailor it to the skill levels,” Stoughton said. “We try to divide them by skill, so it is not a one size fits all. We look at the different levels, where they are at skills-wise and knowledge-wise, and we let them work with our coaches and returning players.
An important aspect of the camp Stoughton includes is having current players help teach the younger players.
With many of the camp attendees having watched the current Rattler softball players, the camp adds another level of experience and familiarity.
“All the girls that work the camp this year are returners,” Stoughton said. “It was great to have all the returners come out. The younger girls look up to them knowing them as junior varsity players. It is a good experience for them to learn from those girls as well as the coaches, because it is pure leadership and mentorship.”
For the players, it allows the group to see the game of softball from another perspective.
“Our girls do a great job of working the camp,” Stoughton said. “They get a chance to see it from the coach’s perspective and see the game from a [different lens].”
With the number of participants coming to the summer camp and players coming to summer workouts continually rising, the growth and interest of softball in San Marcos is a welcome sight.
“It definitely excites us to see the amount of interest that we have,” Stoughton said. “Right now, a lot of the girls that were at camp are coming in due to the coaching staff teaching summer school. [Due to the] temperatures in the afternoons, we have workouts from 6:15 a.m. to 7:15 a.m., and we have from 24-26 girls coming in each morning, which is a great turnout.”
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
The group photo of attendees from the San Marcos Softball Camp of 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Submitted photo by SMHS Athletics.
