The Durham News | Learning for a Lifetime: 2006

Saturday, November 21, 2009
Register / Log In

High: 63° Low: 43°		62.0 °
5-Day Forecast

Learning for a Lifetime: 2006	Home / Class Time / Learning for a Lifetime / Learning for a Lifetime: 2006


June 24, 2006	Shawn Rocco
"The pitcher is 80 percent of the game. It is the most important position on the field. Now look like you're 80 percent of the game!" And Bradley Trexler, 9, follows coach Harry Jones' instructions to a tee. Staring down his catcher he rocks back, finds his balance point, then his power position, then releases -- following through with a full circle, finally resting his elbow by his knee as a strike is swallowed by the catcher's mitt and encouragement is tendered by Coach Jones. Because, as he tells his group, a strike is the best pitch in baseball. Though that sounds like a no-brainer, it's not the easiest thing to do. That's why Trexler and about two dozen other little leaguers ages 7-11 were attending Duke Baseball Academy -- a half-week-long summer baseball camp at Jack Coombs Stadium -- practicing fundamentals while learning new skills to improve their game.