By Jonathan Burrows

DOZENS of young athletes gathered at the Baillou Hills Sporting Complex yesterday morning in anticipation of day one of Pheron Charlton’s inaugural TM Baseball Academy baseball summer camp. 

The three-day camp aims to provide young baseball players in The Bahamas with baseball training and development. 

Day one began with registration and the designation of jerseys and practice equipment for each athlete. 

After the registration period, the camp officially began with a warm-up session, followed by intense baseball drills aimed at developing players’ athleticism, speed, agility, base running, sliding techniques, and batting and fielding techniques.

“Everyone gets the same training, everyone gets to develop the same. At the end of the day, the goal is for everyone to go home and be able to say that they worked on something today,” said Charlton. 

Charlton, a Bahamian baseball standout athlete and current senior at the Florida Memorial University, also expressed what his plans are for the camp in the near future.

“This is the first one I’m hosting, and I do plan on having future camps like this. I do look forward to having something in December for Christmas, so stay tuned for that but, as far as summer camps, I definitely do plan on having more summer camps as I transition out of college and free up more time, which will allow me to be able to host more camps,” he said. 

Charlton, who is returning to Florida Memorial University for his senior year, has high expectations of being named the Player of the Conference this year. After finishing his senior year, Charlton has aspirations to enter the MLB draft in hopes of following his dreams. 

Charlton offered his advice to young athletes following in his footsteps in pursuing a professional baseball career. 

“For guys that are looking up to me, taking the college route to play baseball, I would say to go for it. You get more experience when you take the college route. You still get to play, you still get to develop, just don’t try to rush something that you want to be in long term, you really want to trust the process and trust the people who’re going to get you to the places you want to be. Don’t just try to go from A to Z, take all the steps and appreciate the people along the way who are supporting you,” Charlton said.

The camp is expected to continue through Wednesday, with upcoming days set to focus on advanced hitting strategies, game simulations and mental strength.