The fourth annual CJ Smuin Memorial Hitting Camp will be on Jan. 24 and Jan. 25 at the Carbon Events and Recreation Complex (CERCUT) at the Carbon County Fairgrounds.
This year, they will be offering two sessions for the younger players: Friday evening or Saturday morning. One session for older players on Saturday afternoon will also be offered. Following Saturday afternoon’s session, a banquet will be held at 6 p.m. at CERCUT. Players, parents and community members are all welcome to purchase tickets to the event.
The hitting session will be led by Coach Landon Wareham. Wareham is a former player for the Baltimore Orioles and Mesa State Mavericks. Wareham is also the former head coach of the Montrose Red Hawks in Colorado.
Additionally, he has been actively involved in coaching and managing youth baseball leagues in Montrose. Wareham coached Smuin when he was nine years old, and much of Smuin’s success is attributed to Coach Wareham’s guidance. With years of experience in teaching hitting fundamentals and techniques, he brings a wealth of knowledge to the camp.
Assisting Wareham will be his dad, Coach Brent Wareham, who brings over 30 years of high school coaching experience. A former school administrator, Brent emphasizes the values of sportsmanship and strong work ethic, which he has seen in many successful players throughout his career.
There will be two age divisions being offered: Junior Session (ages 8-12) and Senior Session (ages 13-18). After the junior sessions, players will enjoy ice cream and a motivational talk from Coach Brent on the importance of sportsmanship.
This year, they are excited to announce some new additions to the Senior Session. Kirk Haney, head coach of USU Eastern Baseball, will lead a breakout session on the recruiting process and how players can best prepare for college baseball opportunities. Additionally, Eric Hansen, a therapist at USU Eastern, will host a breakout session focused on mental health and its impact on athletes.
Following the senior session, dinner with speeches from Pat Smuin and mental health expert Nevin Alderman, who will discuss suicide awareness and prevention, will take place.
The CJ Smuin Memorial Foundation is a nonprofit 501c3 organization. All proceeds from the camp will go towards providing scholarships for local baseball players and supporting suicide prevention and awareness programs.
To purchase tickets and for more information, visit https://cjsmuin.org/events/.