Positive word-of-mouth led to a significantly larger group of young baseball players participating this year in the Longwood University baseball coaching staff’s Youth Baseball Camp.

The event, designed for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, drew 55 campers, according to Lancers Head Coach Ryan Mau.

“This was only our second summer hosting the youth baseball camp at Longwood,” Mau said. “Our campers have nearly doubled from year one due solely to previous campers sharing their positive experiences. There were 33 total campers in year one.”

According to a Longwood press release, the camp, which ran June 5-8, offered participants in two age groups instruction from Longwood’s coaches on hitting, defensive and throwing fundamentals. The age groups were named Little Leaguers (LL) and Big Leaguers (BL).

“Our staff thoroughly enjoys instructing and watching the campers improve day-to-day,” Mau said. “But if you asked the campers, I think their favorite part would be having a college locker with their own Longwood nameplate above it. It makes them feel like a ‘Big Leaguer.’”

The release noted that after the instructional portion ended each day, campers competed in scrimmages to put to practice all the learned skills.

“At the end of the camp, several students were awarded superlatives based on their performance during the four days,” officials said in the release.

The Hand Cannon Award went to Gavyn Simpson (LL) and Justin Gunter (BL). The Bullseye Challenge winners were Gavyn Simpson (LL) and Jacob Carter (BL). The Defender of the Camp award went to Gavyn Simpson (LL) and Justin Gunter (BL). Home Run Derby winners were Treyvon Oliver (LL) and Eli Bryant (BL). Sportsmanship Award winners were Gabe Mau (LL) and Logan Tobias (BL). The Mr. Hustle award went to Ryder Davis (LL) and Tanner Morris (BL).