MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Athletics, along with the Magnolia A&P Commission has announced that “Camping with the Cardinals” will be hosted by the Southern Arkansas Muleriders on Saturday, December 7. The camp will be held from 1 to 4 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 12:30 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 2024 St. Louis Cardinals in assistant coach/bullpen coach, Jamie Pogue, and current St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Kyle Leahy.
“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 Kyle, but also by the coaching staff and players of Mulerider Baseball. I can’t say Thank You enough to Coach Justin Pettigrew, Jamie, and Kyle 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.
Leahy, who played collegiately at Colorado Mesa, was a seventeenth-round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft. Leahy was selected to St. Louis’ 40-man roster on July 6, 2023 and made his Major League debut against the Chicago White Sox on July 7, 2023 after being promoted from the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Leahy would be placed back on the Redbirds roster following the 2023 season, but would return to the 40-man major league roster on April 30, 2024. This past season, Leahy played in 16 games at Memphis and 63 in his career with the Redbirds. The former Maverick has seen action in 36 Major League Baseball contests with St. Louis. In 2017 at Colorado Mesa, Leahy won his second RMAC Championship and an NCAA South Central Regional Championship. Kyle was awarded the titles of First Team All-American, First Team Academic, and was an NCAA Elite 90 winner. He was a finalist for the Brett Tomko National Pitcher of the Year award, the NCAA South Central Region Tournament MVP, Region Pitcher of the Year, RMAC Pitcher of the Year, won the RMAC Summit Award, and was an RMAC Academic Player of the Year.
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.”
