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SIERRA VISTA — Fourteen-year-old Erica Wright couldn’t give softball a rest on Saturday afternoon.
During the hour-long lunch break of the youth softball camp hosted by Callista Balko and Taryne Mowatt, Wright was out in the middle of the diamond, practicing her pitching.
Erica was one of 37 girls who were at the Domingo Paiz Complex for a day-long session of softball-skills teaching by the two former University of Arizona standout players.
Erica, who is a member of the 14U Sierra Vista Heat, has only been playing softball for two years, but in that short amount of time, she’s already fallen in love with the game that her mother, Penny, played for 20 years.
  
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“This is Erica’s third camp,” Penny Wright said. “And she’s happy today because there are more blondes on the field.”
Blonde-haired softball players were in the minority on Saturday afternoon, but Erica felt right at home alongside the two clinic teachers, especially Mowatt. Erica wears a No. 9 jersey, the same as her favorite pitcher.
“We’re hoping to start lessons with Taryne up in Tucson,” Wright said. “When we first got involved (with the traveling team), I thought, to have the opportunity to work with U of A players, to have coaches with those kinds of connections, is just great.”
Originally, the camp was set for the mornings over the span of two days, but coordinators didn’t want to take any chances after they saw a forecast threatening a cold and wet Sunday.
Saturday was divided in half, working on fielding during the morning, and hitting and baserunning drills in the afternoon. The girls finished up with pitching and catching.
“We’re trying to hit all the key points,” said Danielle Rodriguez, another former Wildcat assisting with the camp.
“It’s hard to fit everything in,” Mowatt said. “We want them to leave here with the knowledge and skills to take home with them.”
Three players from the Sierra Vista 12U Diamonds, Kayleigh LeBlanc, Amanda Laganosky and Cindy Chon, said they had a good time with the clinic teachers because Balko and Mowatt talked and laughed with them throughout the day while they worked hard on drills.
“There’s a lot they’ve told us about what they experienced in college,” Amanda said. “They show us the right way, the college way.”
Balko, who is from Tucson, said she hopes to see more youth softball camps pop up in the southeast Arizona region, and she is glad to be a part of helping young players expand their softball skills.
“We do consider ourselves role models for these girls,” Balko said. “We’re here to spread the sport and set a good example for them.”
Herald/Review sports reporter Liz Manring can be reached at 515-4682 or by e-mail at liz.manring@svherald.com.
SV Diamonds 96 Mom wrote on Jan 8, 2009 12:31 PM: