MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Athletics, along with the Magnolia A&P Commission has announced that “Camp with the Champs”, the all-skills baseball camp formerly known as “Camping with the Cardinals,” will be hosted by the 2023 Great American Conference Champion Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Sunday, December 3. The camp will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. from inside Walker Stadium at Goodheart Field on the campus of Southern Arkansas University and is FREE to area youth ages 6-14. Pre-registration for the camp will begin on-site at 1:30 p.m. that afternoon.
The camp will once more be hosted and conducted by the coaching staff and players of the Mulerider Baseball program and will feature special instruction by current members of the 2023 St. Louis Cardinals in assistant coach/bullpen coach, Jamie Pogue, and current St. Louis Cardinals first baseman and 2023 International League Most Valuable Player Luken Baker.
“We at Mulerider Athletics are really excited to continue the partnership with the Magnolia A&P Commission to offer this camp once more,” remarked SAU Director of Athletics Steve Browning. “What an awesome day for the youth in South Arkansas and the surrounding region. You get to come out and receive baseball instruction by not only Jamie and Luken, but also by the coaching staff and players of Mulerider Baseball. I can’t say Thank You enough to Coach Justin Pettigrew, Jamie, and Luken for this opportunity that they are giving to the kids in this area. I encourage the parents to bring the kids out to the camp and let them engage in an awesome experience that they will never forget.”
Pogue, the Cardinals bullpen catcher/catching coach from 2012 to 2022 and an assistant coach/bullpen coach as of November 2022, has ties with SAU and the surrounding community having played baseball for the Muleriders in his senior season of 1999. In his lone year at Southern Arkansas, Pogue led the team in home runs (9), RBIs (61), slugging percentage (.643), runs scored (68), walks (39), and on-base percentage (.521). He was also second on the squad that year in batting average (.405), doubles (17), and hits (75) en route to being named All-Gulf South Conference First-Team and earning All-South Central Region accolades. Pogue later signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals and was in their farm system until 2003. In his current role he has helped St. Louis claim the Central Division title five times and in 2013 he was instrumental in the Cardinals’ run to the World Series.
Baker, who played collegiately at Texas Christian, was a second-round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2018 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Baker spent four and a half seasons in the Cardinals farm system before being selected to St. Louis’ 40-man roster on June 4, 2023 when he made his Major League debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He played in 33 big league games this past season and 84 at Triple-A Memphis. While with the Redbirds this past season, Baker slashed .334/.439/.720 with 33 home runs and 98 RBI to earn International League Most Valuable Player and Post-Season All-Star honors. Highly touted out of Conroe, Texas’ Oak Ridge High School, Baker was named the 2015 Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year and the following spring he became the Big 12 Conference’s Freshman of the Year. He was also an All-Big 12 Conference honoree during his time with the Horned Frogs.
In addition to the baseball skills aspect of the camp, the camp will also be a platform for the instructors to provide motivational talks with the campers about the importance of education and physical wellness.
Browning added, “I think this is a testament to the character and commitment of our guests as well as Mulerider Baseball for their willingness to serve our community.”