WARREN DILLAWAY
ANDOVER TOWNSHIP — The thump, thump, thump of baseball against mitt seemed a bit odd in December but was a happy sound for 13 players who came to Pymatuning Valley High School gymnasium for winter instruction Sunday afternoon.
The fourth year of the Great Lakes Pitching and Catching Camp was organized by Steve “Skipper” Urchek, Pymatuning Valley baseball coach.
He said area athletes are at somewhat of a disadvantage because there aren’t any indoor baseball complexes as there are in many more populated areas.
“It gives kids in our area who don’t have access to instruction (during the winter),” Urchek said while baseball scouts Nick Venuto of the Houston Astros and Ed Santa of the Colorado Rockies put the kids through their paces Sunday aftenoon.
“We have a kid from Massillon Perry,” Urchek said of the distance some people traveled.
Bill Mangel of Union City, Pa., drove 60 miles to help his son learn more about baseball.
Urchek said students in the afternoon session included seventh to 12th graders from Edgewood, Perry, Lakeside and Pymatuning Valley.
A line of adults sat on the bleachers watching the students warm up and then received detailed pitching and catching instruction from the long time scouts.
Urchek, a baseball player for Kent State University during his college days, made contacts with the pair during his career and asked them to come to Andover Township to put on the event.
He said Santa was Urban Meyer’s roomate at one timeand also helped Manny Acta, now the Cleveland Indians manager, with some of the details early in his coaching career.
Santa worked with the catchers and Venuto handled the pitchers using a wooden mound that simulated an outdoor mound.
