Central Valley High School coaches provided lead instruction at the First Annual Ceres Blaze Summer Baseball Camp earlier this month.
“If you want to build a championship program, and keep the best talent in Ceres, you have to build those relationships at a young age,” Hawks’ head coach Brad Bussard said leading up to the three-day clinic.
Approximately 30 players, aged 6-13, attended the July 19-21 camp at Costa Fields.
Cost was $100 per camper.
Participants received instruction from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Players were split into two groups.
Central Valley and Blaze coaches focused on all aspects of the game during the three-day clinic.
The Stamper brothers, Nolan (8) and Liam (11), and Gage Petty (11), were among the campers who dedicated time to hitting, fielding and throwing.
“We really covered everything,” said Ralph Valencia, Blaze coach/Ceres Youth Baseball & Softball Organization sponsorship director. “The biggest thing is the kids had fun. They also learned some stuff. Obviously, we want to continue to grow.”
Former Blaze players Alex Solis (Stanislaus State) and Orlando Leon Jr. (University of Hawaii at Hilo) took time from their busy schedules to help out at the camp.
They demonstrated drills and answered questions.
Solis focused on hitting and fielding.
Leon provided tutelage in pitching.
“Being back here brings back memories,” Solis said. “It feels like not too long ago I was in their shoes. It was always fun to play baseball in the summer. That was the biggest thing.”
“These camps are important,” he added. “They learn the basics and as much as they can at a young age. We get to give them a strong foundation.”
Solis graduated from Central Valley High School in 2019.
A four-year varsity member, Solis earned first-team all-conference honors as a senior and junior and was a second-team pick as a sophomore.
He batted .339 with four homers, three triples, 31 doubles, 100 hits, 55 RBIs, 81 runs and 39 stolen bases in 105 career games.
He had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .985.
He totaled seven wins at pitcher with 184 strikeouts and three shutouts in 1592/3 innings.
Solis hit .467 with four homers, 12 doubles, 19 RBIs, 27 runs and eight stolen bases during his final season with the Hawks.
He collected four wins, posted a 2.36 ERA and tallied 59 strikeouts while logging 531/3 innings at pitcher.
He ranked first in the Central California Conference in home runs (2) and slugging percentage (.800), second in hits (15) and on-base percentage (.651), third in batting average (.500) and RBIs (10), fourth in doubles (3), and seventh in runs (7).
Solis had a productive junior year at Stanislaus State this past spring.
He batted .287 with three homers, 12 doubles, 26 RBIs, 23 runs, 16 walks and four stolen bases.
He had a .957 fielding percentage while making 44 starts in the outfield.
Solis was an infielder the previous two seasons.
Leon posted a 1-1 record with a 3.91 ERA, 25 strikeouts and seven walks in 20 appearances at pitcher with Hawaii Hilo in 2023.
He was a three-year varsity player at Central Catholic High School.
He earned second-team MaxPreps California Medium Schools All-State honors as a senior.
He batted .347 with four homers, two triples, nine doubles, 19 RBIs and 17 runs.
He finished 3-2 on the mound with a 3.99 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 331/3 innings.
Solis and Leon both played organized baseball at Costa Fields during their childhood.
“It was pretty cool having Alex and Orlando come back,” Valencia said. “They’re both Ceres kids and they both played Blaze.”
