Westerners and Dave Simone Partner for 2016 Summer Baseball Camps
December 4, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Danbury Westerners News Release
DANBURY, CT (December 1): The Danbury Westerners are excited to announce their new partnership with Dave Simone, head baseball coach at Abbott Tech High School in Danbury, CT as their Director of Youth Development programs.
"Dave Simone is a talented individual with in-depth knowledge of the game of baseball. He is well respected in the community, and we are excited to partner with Dave as we once again present our baseball camps to the Northern Fairfield County region. We also will announce other events, including our annual free clinic, in the near future,"Â said Paul Schaffer, team President of the Danbury Westerners.
Simone had a successful baseball career before becoming a coach. He was a two-time state champion at Immaculate High School in Danbury, followed by two years at UCONN Avery Point. The Danbury native then finished his collegiate career at Western Connecticut State University. At this point, Simone's career took off, as he would then go on to play professionally overseas in Australia, Austria and the Czech Republic.
Simone now runs Boo's Bandits, which is a baseball organization based in Danbury. His program has a close relationship with Danbury Youth Baseball and provides the area with various baseball camps and clinics for young ball players.
Simone is thrilled to team up with the Westerners in coaching tomorrow's potential baseball stars. "I'm going to cultivate the youth baseball culture in Danbury and bring back the pride and tradition that once was,"Â Simone said.
Not only does Simone want to move Danbury back to its historical roots of baseball, but he also notes the importance of starting new history by mentoring these kids about the game. "I want the kids to learn and get better, not just be there,"Â he said. "We need to start these kids from the ground up, so when they get to the high school level, they're polished athletes."
The camps serve to teach the fundamentals and advanced skills of baseball. Camp attendees will be instructed by the Westerners' players themselves whom are current college baseball players aspiring to play professionally. In 2015, the Westerners had 50 former players participating at the professional level. Throughout its proud history the Westerners have produced 20 major leaguers, and over 140 former players have been drafted. Dozens more have signed professional contracts as non-drafted free agents.
The camps will take place at Rogers Park, home of the Danbury Westerners, and are designed for ages 6-16. Each camp will span from 9:00AM - 3:00PM on Mondays to Thursdays, starting on July 11 and July 18.
Further information on how to register for the camps will be released in the coming weeks. Additional information can be obtained by contacting Dave Simone at dsimone34@gmail.com or Jon Pitser at jspitser@msn.com.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from December 4, 2015
- Westerners and Dave Simone Partner for 2016 Summer Baseball Camps - Danbury Westerners
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