The Johnny Bench Award was created in 2000 to honor college baseball’s top division one catcher. The award is administered by the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission and presented after the conclusion of the College World Series. Former Cincinnati catcher Johnny Bench, who by some is considered to be the best defensive catcher in baseball history, agreed to be the namesake for the annual award.

Coach Gehrer and his Just Block It staff host the annual catchers clinic held in conjunction with the award. The three finalist, their coaches and the JBI staff work with over 100 campers each year.

Just Block It was founded in 1985 and has helped thousands of catchers.

High School Baseball
Dec 27-28
Camp Wednesday & Thursday 1-5pm
Ages 13-19

Register at http://www.justblockit.com

Camp Format
High school campers will receive 8 hours of instruction and evaluation over the two days. This is an instructional plus showcase environment. College coaches will be present, working and evaluating campers as the camp progresses. We will cover stances, receiving, blocking, proper throwing mechanics, throwing to all bases, plays at the plate, bunt plays, pop flies, and wild pitch recovery. The high school campers will be evaluated on their receiving and throwing skills. We will get a pop time on each camper and radar their throws. This information will be available to share with coaches during the recruiting process. High school campers will also showcase their hitting skills for the college coaches.

What Campers Take With Them
Each camper, parent, and their coaches will leave with a working knowledge of how to drill the skills needed to be a successful catcher. We encourage parents and coaches to attend and learn with their campers. You may video drills if you wish. It’s not just what campers do while they are at camp that will make them better, but what campers do on a routine basis on their own. Each camper receives a camp t-shirt and tons of confidence to go play the position with pride and passion.