Sounds Connect With Hearing-Impaired Children
Date Posted: 5/14/2009

Four Nashville Sounds players spent part of their Thursday morning on the field at Greer Stadium as instructors for the team's Annual Fantasy Baseball Camp for deaf and hard of hearing youth, sponsored by Nashville Sertoma Club.

Catcher Patrick Arlis and pitchers Mike Burns, Ryan Houston, and Chris Smith provided hands-on instruction to a group of 30 children from Sylvan Park Elementary School and West End Middle School.

Each of the players hosted stations for the camp attendees that featured baserunning, catching fly balls, hitting off a batting tee, and playing catch. The day concluded with the players and children all coming together to play a game of wiffle ball in the Greer Stadium outfield.

At the conclusion of camp, the four Sounds players joined the children for a picnic lunch and signed autographs.

The opportunity to take the field and receive instruction from professional baseball players was something valued by both the participants and the players.

“I’ve been doing this since I was five years old. We get to hit, run the bases, and play the field," said AuQueche Collier-Rogers, a 4th grader from Nashville, while communicating through an interpreter using sign language. "I have so much fun every year.”

“This event allows us to help out the community and is very enjoyable, too. I have as much fun as these kids. It’s great to see smiles on their faces,” said Burns, who is currently tied for the Pacific Coast League lead with five victories. “Baseball can be a slow sport sometimes, but we all were able to be outside and be active today. Every kid was so energetic and came ready to play.”

The Fantasy Baseball Camp is one of many community-oriented initiatives taken on by the Sounds throughout the year.

"Reaching out to our community is one of the things we are passionate about here at the Sounds and an opportunity to give back to the people who give so much to us," said Becky Davis, the team's Director of Community Relations. "These children had a blast today. You could see all over their faces.

"A day like today makes everything we do worthwhile."

The camp is also the continuation of a longstanding partnership between the team and the Sertoma Club.

"This is tremendous. I didn’t get to do things like this as a kid!" said Pat Clark with the Sertoma Club. "We’re delighted to have the kids come to Greer and play baseball, especially with the Sounds players."