Team Kado Baseball’s series of winter camps opens Thursday with a high school “training, combine and competition camp” at Mid-Pacific Institute.
MPI graduate Donny Kadokawa said Tuesday about 20 spots remain for the showcase targeted at providing high school age players with exposure and instruction. The cost is $175 per player. The sessions are scheduled for 2-6 p.m. on Thursday and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Friday.
Kadokawa said youth and middle school camps scheduled for next week are sold out. Younger players are invited to watch this week’s high school camp.
The high school clinic will feature position-specific training and simulated games with instruction by college coaches and pro scouts. While Kadokawa said past camps focused on showcasing the players’ abilities, this week’s sessions will had added emphasis on instruction.
“We want to teach the local kids what it takes to get to the next level,” said Kadokawa, a 1991 MPI graduate who was inducted into the Owls’ M Club Athletic Hall of Fame in May.
This week’s camp will also offer players an opportunity for greater exposure next summer. Kadokawa said participants will be considered to play for the program’s California-based travel teams in mainland showcase tournaments.
Team Kado is partnering with TB SoCal Baseball in running the camp. TB SoCal won the 14U and 17U championships at the USA Baseball Junior Olympics this summer.
“We want to to be able to take the kids to the mainland and play in bigger tournaments … and try to help get the kids seen,” Kadokawa said.
Kadokawa helped lead MPI to its first two state championships and now coaches in California. After helping players on the mainland over the years, including current Los Angeles Dodger Joc Pederson, he said he felt it was time “to come back to help the local kids and to bring the baseball community together.”
Information on the camp is available at kadobaseball.com or via e-mail at donny@kadobaseball.com.
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