Evans crushes it in skills contest

Bryant Evans plays for the Coldwater Orange Crush 8U team.

The Coldwater third grader knows how to crush it on his own, too.

Recently, Evans had a runner-up finish in the third and fourth grade division of the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Camp Skills Challenge, which features more than 1,000 participants from the 14 camps offered in four different states.

"I wasn't sure how I'd do," Evans said. "I just tried my best."

For Christmas, John and Krista Evans gave their son a five-day stay at Cincinnati Reds Baseball Camp, which included a full Reds' uniform, a VIP day at Great American Ball Park, a meet-and-greet with players Amir Garrett and Phillip Ervin and four tickets to a game.

"I was excited because I always wanted to go to Reds camp," Bryant Evans said. "I thought it would be pretty fun."

Evans attended the camp at Miamisburg High School from June 25-29. At each session, campers participate in the Skills Competition, which tests base-running speed, bat speed and fielding (fielding ball, transfer, throwing 90 feet).

Evans won the regional title at Miamisburg by totaling 877 points. The next highest finisher tallied 847 points. The top 10 highest scorers from each camp are invited to "Champions Day" at Great American Ball Park.

The campers attended the final game of the season at GABP, which was held on Sept. 30. After the Reds' 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, Evans and top scorers from each age group competed in the finals of the skills contest on the field.

Evans finished runner-up to Carson Herbst, a regional qualifier from Beechwood, Kentucky.

While playing with the Orange Crush over the summer, Evans traveled to various ballfields and helped the team win seven tournament titles. But according to Evans, playing baseball at Great American Ball Park was something else.

"It's something I'll never forget," Evans said.