Play ball at the Kearny Kids’ Baseball Camp

Dominic Avitable is only six years old, but he was a giant hit at the recent Kearny Kids’ Baseball Camp at Franklin School.

Not just because little Dominic is headed into the first grade at Schuyler School in a few weeks and that he’s a diehard Mets fan, true blue all the way, but because Dominic loves the game of baseball more than he loves spelling and math.

“I like it a lot,” Dominic said. “I learned how to lead off the bases and I learned how to catch the ball the right way, putting my hand over the ball when I catch.”

However, with a bat in his hand, little Dom was downright lethal. Just how much? Well, he collected a nickname during the week at Franklin School.

“I’m the Dominator,” he said with a laugh. “I think I’ll keep that.”

Needless to say, Avitable had a good time with the 60 or so other avid baseball players at the camp.

“I had a lot of fun,” he said.

That was the prevalent feeling throughout. Despite the hot weather and a few sprinkles from above, the kids managed to have a great time.

Michael Jarquin is 11 years old and is headed into the sixth grade at Sacred Heart School. He was also the shortstop and pitcher on the Rick’s Auto Body team that recently won the Kearny Little League World Series. Jarquin is also a Mets fan whose favorite player is rookie sensation and Home Run Derby champion Pete Alonso.

Jarquin is a veteran of the Kearny Kids Baseball Camp.

“This is my sixth time here,” Jarquin said. “I like coming here a lot. It encourages me to play more.”

Jarquin said that he worked on his pitching skills during the week.

“I learned that mechanics are the most important part of pitching,” Jarquin said. “I want to be a pitcher, so I want to learn all that I can about pitching.”

Jonah Menendez is 12 years old and is headed into the seventh grade at Lincoln School. He played for Shop Rite in the Kearny Little League and played pitcher, catcher and first base. Jonah is a Yankees fan who roots for Aaron Judge.

“I learned how to throw a change-up,” Menendez said. “See, you hold the ball like this.”

Menendez displayed the proper way to throw a circle change.

“I’m going to be a lot better from coming here,” Menendez said. “Batters aren’t going to be expecting that pitcher. I can’t wait to use it.”

Michael Faulk is 7 years old and will be in the second grade at Queen of Peace School in North Arlington. Faulk resides in Belleville and plays in the Belleville Little League. He plays shortstop, second base and pitcher and roots for the Yankees and Aaron Judge as well.

“I won the Home Run Derby here,” Faulk said. “It’s a lot better than it was last year. It’s going to help me be a better baseball player.”

Daniel Martins is a 12-year-old Kearny resident who will begin seventh grade at Franklin School. He’s a fan of the Texas Rangers and recently retired Adrian Beltre, who is certain to become a Hall of Famer one day.

“I like him because he did a lot of funny things,” Martins said. “I liked the way he played baseball.”

Martins plays baseball all year.

“I play fall ball,” Martins said. “I hit balls and do stuff in the winter. I love playing baseball.”

Martins played first base for Cali Carting in the Kearny Little League, but he also learned about pitching at the camp.

“I learned how to throw a change-up,” Martins said. “I throw a lot on the side. This really inspired me to play more.”

The camp wasn’t reserved for boys. Emma Carson was the winner of her age group’s Home Run Derby.

Kathryn Schwerzler is 11 years old and attends Roosevelt School. She plays for Ace Auto in the Kearny Little League and plays first base and pitches. She’s also a Mets fan. And don’t think at all that Kathryn wants to play softball with the other girls.

“I think I can play baseball,” Schwerzler said. “I want to play baseball, because I think I can achieve something special. I think it’s a girl’s sport, too. We can play baseball. I get inspired being out here. It’s a lot of fun playing against the boys. It encourages me to play baseball more because I’m a girl.”

And what’s the one thing Schwerzler learned about herself during the week?

“I can run fast,” Schwerzler said. “I never thought I could run that fast. I learned that I can achieve something if I just try.”

Bravo, Kathryn.

Melody Torres is a 10-year-old fifth grader from Franklin School. She’s also a Met fan, but she regularly plays softball and plays second base and pitches in softball.

“It makes me want to go a lot further in the sport,” Torres said. “I think I can prove that girls can play, too. I think I proved myself this week.”

The excitement rubbed off on Kearny High School head baseball coach and camp director Dave Smart.

“There are kids who want to be here and want to play,” Smart said. “The key is keeping them here and interested. We have some great coaches here in Kearny that they can learn from. I’m very impressed with the talent level we have here. These kids want to keep playing and that’s a great feeling. They were eager. They wanted to learn. They watched, then wanted to throw.”

Smart said that he was blessed to have fellow coaches in the camp like former Kearny head coach Jim Sickinger, former assistant coach Jason Scavalla, current Harrison head coach and former Kearny standout Jairo Mendez, and current Kearny assistant coaches Jeff Caputo and the resident baseball guru Doug Gogal. No one in Kearny knows more about baseball than Gogal.

“I’m still learning from those guys,” Smart said. “Their experience and knowledge can’t be touched. They’re an amazing group of guys.”

Smart said that he loves working with the younger guys, like “The Dominator.”

“Sometimes, I like the little guys better,” Smart said. “Working with these young guys is just fun. It brings you back to your youth. I like the competition between the boys and the girls. That’s also a lot of fun. Seeing a girl like Emma bang the ball around. It’s a great feeling. She’s a tough kid and very driven. I think it’s a great introduction to our facility, to our staff and to our program.”

And it’s also a good way for little kids to get a nickname that sticks.