AAU Helping Little League Reach New Heights

West Deptford's young baseball players are making it awful hard on their parents to schedule vacations during the summer months.

As it turns out, these kids just keep wanting to play baseball.

The program had a phenomenal summer, as three teams won district titles, and a few more came close to hoisting a banner. Before the calendar hit August, West Deptford had crowned District 15 Champions at the 10-11, Major and Senior levels.

Many factors went into the township having such a great run on the diamond, and one of the biggest is a credit to the minds of Sean Garrison and Ed Essig. The two men were instrumental in bringing Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) baseball to the area.

“Five or six years ago, myself and Ed Essig started AAU, and every year since, we have added a new team,” said Garrison, who is an assistant coach at two levels of Little League and also coaches the American Legion Sophomore team. “Now, most of our kids on the All-Star teams are the same players we have on the AAU team. A lot of the coaches are same, too, so you are coaching these kids for 30 or 40 games during the season.”

Garrison said having an AAU program gives West Deptford an advantage against opponents who do not, because of how familiar the coaches and players are with each other before the tournaments even begin.

“The kids know what to expect from us and we know what to expect from them, so it makes it easier when you compete against teams who were together maybe two or three weeks, when we have been together for months,” he said.

The AAU program has teams ranging from 8U to 14U. Players can try out for the team, and those who make it get to play in a traveling league that competes against other top teams from around the area. Garrison said the program is helping the kids not only for their years in Little League, but also for down the line when they reach high school.

“Both me and Ed love baseball,“ Garrison said. “We see this as a program that can help a good core of kids get pretty decent and realize when they get to high school they can be even better. When they get there, they will have already been together seven or eight years and played real good competition.”

Some of the benefits have already shined through. A good portion of this year’s South Jersey Group II championship West Deptford High School team participated in AAU, something that can’t be overlooked.

But whether it has been AAU or just basic Little League, it’s clear that things have been going well at the youth level. And when things go well at the youth level, it often means similar results can be found down the road.

“It speaks well for West Deptford baseball and the program we have, and it speaks well for the high school and the program they have and our trying to build,” said 10-11 head coach Gus Knestaut.

Of course there is one drawback: Vacations will have to start a little later.