The eighth annual Demopolis High baseball camp was held Saturday, and to no one’s surprise it was the event’s eighth annual success.

Under clear blue skies more than 80 young area ballplayers enjoyed hands-on coaching from Major Leaguers Jake Peavy and Scott Sullivan and triple-A ballplayers like the Oakland A’s Jeremy Brown. A number of former and current Demopolis Tigers also lent a hand in developing the area’s future baseball stars.

“Everything went so well … I don’t think there’s any doubt the kids enjoyed it, that they got something out of it,” said DHS head baseball coach and camp organizer James Moody. “The weather was great. The guys doing the clinic were great. We got to cover a lot of stuff with the kids.”

Moody was especially happy with the help provided by the camp’s “stars,” like Peavy, a 2005 Cy Young candidate, and Sullivan, an eight-year Major League veteran.

“What hit me as so positive was all the big name guys, how humble they were,” Moody said. “They got right out there with the kids and made sure they had a good time. It’s hard to find guys like that.”

For that, Moody wished to thank Chris Hawley and Mossy Oak Properties, who offered the “big name guys” the use of their hunting properties during their time in the Black Belt.

“I could not do this without them,” Moody says.

But Moody would have a hard time as well without the help of his team. The good news for the Demopolis coach is that the morning spent at camp may have helped his current players as well as his future ones.

“It’s good for them,” Moody said. “To teach the kids, they have to think a little more about how to do the things they’re teaching. It’s also just good for them to give something back.”