Former Page standouts, brothers return home to instruct baseball camps
A NaatՇanii Baseball Academy coach teaches Sieane M. Lons, 10, on how to hit a baseball, one of the most difficult skill in all sports, on Jan. 10 at the Sand Devil baseball field in Page, Ariz. Thirty-one participants took part in the baseball camp, which was coordinated by professional baseball players, brothers Craig and Vincent Littleman from LeChee, Ariz. (Times photo - Krista Allen)
A NaatՇanii Baseball Academy coach teaches Sieane M. Lons, 10, on how to hit a baseball, one of the most difficult skill in all sports, on Jan. 10 at the Sand Devil baseball field in Page, Ariz. Thirty-one participants took part in the baseball camp, which was coordinated by professional baseball players, brothers Craig and Vincent Littleman from LeChee, Ariz. (Times photo – Krista Allen)
PAGE, Ariz.
The Page Red Devils had quite a workout Saturday in the expansive outfield of Sand Devil Baseball Field while going through a variety of conditioning and warm-up drills in the bitter cold.
Despite the low temperatures that day, the Red Devils say they learned much about improving skills and hard work from two professional baseball players, brothers Craig and Vincent “Vinny” Littleman, who know that hard work truly pays off.
“They’re here to get themselves back into (athletic) shape for next season,” Red Devils coach Val June said about her team. “They’re very determined, and they were really excited to be part of the baseball camp.”
Thirty-one participants took part in the daylong camp that featured demonstration on proper hitting, throwing and pitching, as well as fielding and base running techniques. And they were there to improve their mental toughness, speed and agility, hand-eye coordination, and not to mention, leadership ability.
A handful of the participants were Sand Devils like Waylon Black, 18 and Page Middle School Panthers like Victoria Boonie, 14 who are preparing for the upcoming season. Others were Desert View Bobcats like MiaKoda Whitehorse, 9 and Alysa Manson, 8.
“It’s nice for these guys to (come) back to the community,” said Black, a first baseman, about the coaches who both have collegiate and independent baseball league experience. “We’ve learned what we haven’t learned. We’ve learned about the next level, how it is, and about how the environment and the playing skills change—what (one) would really need in order to get there.”
Craig Littleman, 25, a Page High and Centenary College (Louisiana) alumnus, says he and his younger brother along with other coaches including the new Sand Devil baseball coach taught the young aspirants the fundamentals of baseball.
“We basically want to give them information we wish we knew in high school,” Craig said. “We’re just feeding them information we got from our coaches and information we got from playing professional baseball. We’re passing it along to them in hopes that they will take it in and … get to the next level.”
Highway 264,
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