Baseball Summer Camps That Knock It Out of the Park

Looking for a baseball camp to send your child to during the summer? From local Little Leagues located right in Manhattan to out-of-state game grounds for high-schoolers, here are four summer camps that knock it out of the park.

First to-bat is Peter Stuyvesant Little League, a volunteer, non-profit organization chartered by Little League International based in historic Con Ed Field at 276 Ave. C and East 16th Street. Players aged 7 and up can sign up for half-days (9am-noon) or a full day inclusive of lunch (9am–3pm). The full week runs $500. According to Peter Stuyvesant Little League president Nick McKeon, they have regular baseball coaching instructors who come in and run the baseball and softball camps. From June 30 to Aug. 23.

“Our league has exclusivity to the space,” McKeon said, “so that’s why we’re able to have this great camp.”

McKeon said that the camp has been around for over 20 years. Many of the staff are volunteers. They have two artificial-turf Little League fields and batting cages. The camp features drills, home-run derbies, and the kids’ favorite: actual competitive games played during the post-lunchtime portion of the camp day.

“I think it’s the best baseball facility in Manhattan,” said McKeon.

“The neighborhood’s fantastic, it’s very well made and accessible. It’s an incredibly safe environment.”

Con Edison, which owns the property, spent about $1 million as part of an environmental remedial project a decade ago, which converted the field from grass to artificial turf. That eliminated the need to lay new sod every year, since the field was utilized in the fall/early winter seasons by the Manhattan Kickers recreational soccer league. It now has year-round durability, McKeon said.

Another camp with a city facility is Kids of Summer Sports. Baseball, which was the sole basis of the camp at its founding in 2002, remains the most popular, but it also offers basketball and flag football camps. It’s based in Riverside Park on the Upper West Side from June 9 to Aug. 28 at West 104th Street. The site features four turf fields, batting cages, water and bathroom facilities. Campers (ages 6 to 13) are divided into divisions based on their age and skills, in order to ensure each camper receives appropriate competitive game play and instruction. Campers also receive weekly evaluations.

The Kids of Summer Sports Baseball Camp day begins at 9am. For the next half-hour, campers warm up, stretch, run, go through a throwing program. They then do two morning skills activities, breaking at noon to wash up and eat lunch. After lunch, campers play a daily game until 2:45pm and then end the day with a snack, the daily wrap-up, and awards, with dismissal at 3:30pm, but the camp also offers late pickup and early dropoff for a small additional fee.

Prices begin at $550 a week, with options to save money depending on how long you register your kids for (saving $25/week for over four weeks, and $50/week for over seven weeks).

Next up is Greenwich Village Little League, another all-volunteer, chartered league of Little League International, with Juniors, Majors, and AAA divisions. It is a little different because it offers once-a-week programs in the evenings. No prior experience in Greenwich Village Little League is required for players (aged 5 to 12 for Summer Baseball for boys, and 5 to 14 for girls’ Summer Softball) to participate. Prices range from $100 for All T-Ball, $125 for Softball, and $150 for Baseball (with $25 off if you register by June 22).

T-ballers meet Wednesdays at Pier 40, and Majors play Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at J.J. Walker Park in Greenwich Village.

Finally, parents whose kids have a serious interest in the sport might want the sleepaway camp at the Navy Sports Camps’ Baseball Camp, held at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. This camp has four different camps, ranging from Youth Day Camps for kids in grades 2 to 7 to a two-day Overnight Leadership Camp for serious high school kids in grades 8 to 12. The National Leadership Overnight Camp runs July 20-22, and is priced at $725.

“It was a great camp, great experience,” said Julie Sniffen, a New Yorker whose son (now a captain in the US Navy) went through the Leadership Camp when he was a sophomore in high school, playing for Regis High School. He played in the PSLL as a youngster.

Check-in is held at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. All campers stay in the dorm of the Midshipmen Brigade, Bancroft Hall, with meals being provided at King Hall. According to their brochure, the National Leadership Overnight Camp’s instructional curriculum places “considerable emphasis on improving fundamental playing skill in every aspect of the game,” as well as on teaching the leadership skills “ingrained in the culture . . . at the Naval Academy.” Each night features either a leadership talk with Coach Chuck Ristano (a recruiter and coach with 20 years of experience at the Division 1 level) or a meet-and-greet with recent USNA Baseball grads.

“They did give the kids plenty of time to have fun,” Sniffen said. “They had a few hours in the morning, then they’d break for lunch, and then they’d do a couple of hours in the afternoon, and then they do something fun. So it was a nice mix, but I think you really felt very good about how well managed it was.”