Husker baseball players hosting camp for youth baseball players this weekend

Husker baseball players are teaming up with the Lincoln Blackhawks for a fundamentals camp this Saturday.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Every young athlete growing up in Nebraska dreams of being a Husker.

On Saturday, youth baseball players with the Lincoln Blackhawks will have an opportunity to learn from their heroes.

Husker pitcher Shay Schanaman says the plan is to stick to the fundamentals.

“We’re just going to keep it simple, really, we’re gonna have fun,” Schanaman said. “It’s not going to be nothing crazy, we’re just going to stick to the basics, because that’s what makes a good ballplayer.”

Lincoln Blackhawks president Ken Boatman says he’s eager to the looks on some of the younger players’ faces.

“They’re more probably awestruck than the older kids,” Boatman said. “I think it’s gonna be a real, real neat opportunity and experience for them.”

Due to changes in name, image and likeness laws, the Huskers are able to host this camp and earn a profit from it.

“It’s fun being recognized when people want to pay you to showcase your skills or make an appearance or put your name on something because you’ve worked hard to earn that recognition,” Schanaman said.

Four Husker players, Schanaman, Griffin Everitt, Tyler Martin, and Brice Matthews will be teaming up with the Blackhawks this weekend.

While other Husker athletes have made headlines with splashy endorsement deals, Everitt explains that is not the case for every athlete on campus.

“This camp, this is my first NIL deal where I’ll actually make some money and that’s awesome,” Everitt said.

Everitt says in past years, he and his teammates have had to clear camp sessions with NCAA compliance, even though they were not able to profit from the camps.

This year, NIL deals are managed through Lincoln-based marketing company Opendorse.

“If you are given an NIL deal, it’ll pop up in [the Opendorse app] and there’ll be a little form that you have to fill out to kind of acknowledge what you’re doing, and then after you fill out that form, you run it through compliance, and then they give you good to go,” Everitt said.

Schanaman, who is from Grand Island and Everitt, who grew up in Lincoln, shared what they plan on telling the youth baseball players this weekend.

“Just work hard, stick to the basics and figure out what works for you,” Schanaman said. “Everyone’s different, just find your game and do what it takes to move on, if that’s what you want. If not, it’s always a blast to play baseball.”

“My message to them is going to be that it’s a process,” Everitt said. “There’s probably a lot of people who didn’t think I’d be playing for the Huskers one day, so just keep working. It’s a long process and baseball is a rewarding game. The more you work, the better you get.”

The camp is broken down by age group: 6 to 10, 11 and 12, and 13 through 15.

You can learn more about the Blackhawks and the Husker camp on Saturday here.