SAU Sports Information
The Southern Arkansas University Athletic Department is pleased to announce that on Saturday, Jan. 7, it will co-sponsor a special free all-skills baseball camp at Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field from 9 a.m. until noon for area youth ages 6-13.
Pre-registration for the camp will begin at 8:30 a.m. that morning.
The camp, which is being co-sponsored by the Magnolia A&P, Albemarle Foundation, Magnolia, Waller Wealth Management, and Mulerider Athletics, is being dubbed “Camping with the Cardinals” as current St. Louis Cardinals Jamie Pogue and Michael Wacha will be the lead instructors of the camp.
“I cannot begin to describe how excited I am for Mulerider Athletics to partner with the Magnolia A&P Commission, Albemarle Foundation, Magnolia, and Waller Wealth Management to bring Jamie and Michael to town,” remarked SAU Director of Athletics, Steve Browning. “These sponsors’ desires to help us invest in the lives of the youth of our community is inspiring and I want to express a great deal of thanks to each one.”
Free camp jersey shirts of Pogue and Wacha will be given out to the first 200.
The indoor facility at Magnolia High School will be used in the case of inclement weather on January 7.
“Having seen my own kids’ faces light up when they have been blessed with the opportunity to go to a Major League Baseball game and see players that they watch on TV, I thought how cool would it be for kids in our community to get to enjoy that same experience,” added Browning.
“In that, I started talking with Jamie and Michael, and we all came up with the idea of them coming to town and putting on a camp where kids could come for free and learn from people who are connected to our area and have reached the pinnacle of their sport,” remarked Browning.
“I know there are some other scheduled events that day for kids to be involved in, but I want parents to please feel free to come and go as needed so that their children get the opportunity to experience this event. Also, with all the different baseball minds that will be here providing instruction for these kids, this by far has to be one of the best camps in the nation!”
Pogue, the Cardinals bullpen catcher/catchers coach since 2012, and Wacha, a starting pitcher for the Red Birds, each have ties with SAU and the surrounding community with Pogue playing baseball for the Muleriders in his senior season of 1999, while Wacha played his prep baseball at nearby Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana. Additionally, Wacha’s younger sister Brette is a freshman on the SAU women’s basketball team.
In Pogue’s year with the Muleriders, he led the team in homeruns (9), RBIs (61), slugging percentage (.643), runs scored (68), walks (39), and on-base percentage (.521). He was also second on the squad in batting average (.405), doubles (17), and hits (75). Defensively, Pogue threw out 33% of runners from behind the plate. Those outstanding numbers resulted in Pogue being named All-Gulf South Conference First-Team and earning All-South Central Region accolades. Pogue later signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals and was in their farm system until 2003.
“I’d like to thank Steve Browning for organizing this camp and including me in it,” remarked Pogue. “I am beyond excited to be involved and am looking forward to investing in the youth of the community.”
“I loved my time at SAU and am excited to be able to come back,” added Pogue. “This will also serve as a tremendous opportunity for me to show my wife, Jeanne, and two daughters, Madyson and Skylinn, the campus and facilities where I went to school. I can’t wait to get down there!”
After playing at Pleasant Grove, Wacha went on to star on the mound at Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas) where he posted a career record of 27-7 with a 2.40 ERA in 348.2 innings and 336 strikeouts. Wacha then became a first round draft pick of the Cardinals in 2012. In 2013, he made his major league debut and helped pitch the Cardinals to that year’s World Series as he was named the NLCS MVP. In 2015, Wacha was named to his first MLB All-Star Team.
“I am excited to get the opportunity to visit the SAU campus and to help the youth in the area to learn about the game of baseball,” remarked Wacha.
In addition to the baseball skills aspect of the camp, the camp will also be a platform for the instructors to provide motivational talks with the campers about the importance of education and physical wellness.
“It should be a great day for the kids to learn a lot about baseball as well as the role education and overall physical wellness will play in their lives,” noted Pogue.
Additional instructors for the camp will be SAU head baseball coach Justin Pettigrew; SAU assistants Adam Anderson, Craig Parry and Mitch Huckabay; MHS head baseball coach and SAU Sports Hall of Famer Bobby Beeson; MHS assistant TC Graham; former SAU head baseball coach and SAU Sports Hall of Famer Steve Goodheart; SAU Athletic Director and former SAU head baseball coach Steve Browning; and current SAU and Magnolia High School baseball players.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our coaches and players to be able to help provide this kind of a camp to our area youth with major league ballplayers,” said SAU head baseball coach, Justin Pettigrew. “And the fact that both Jamie and Michael have ties with SAU makes it that much more special and should resonate greatly with the kids that attend.”