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Brockamer Was a Steady Catcher for Prep Legion Team

Dylan Brockamer didn’t make the North Haven High School baseball team as a sophomore in the spring, but that didn’t discourage him from playing baseball, and so Dylan went out for the Prep Legion squad this summer. Dylan, who played catcher, is hoping that his solid season with Post 76 improves his odds of competing for the Indians next year.

“I didn’t play baseball for the school last year. I played freshman baseball, but not my sophomore year since varsity had a very stacked lineup. Two older catchers came down to JV that were older than me. I plan on trying out next year because they left,” says Dylan. “I think this summer prepared me a lot for next year. It really helped me. Everything we did improved me a ridiculous amount. I don’t think I’ve ever improved as much in a season as I did this summer.”

Dylan and Prep Legion coach Jake DeRosa agree that he made the biggest improvements with his mechanics behind the plate. DeRosa praises Dylan for his ability to block balls in the dirt, along with the overall attitude he brought to the squad. Dylan won North Haven’s Sportsmanship Award this year.

“He played with everything he had and left nothing on the field. That’s how he helped us throughout the season,” says DeRosa. “Behind the plate, he was very impressive in terms of his blocking ability, which he improved on and almost mastered. Anything in the dirt, he stopped. He was like a wall back there.”

Dylan has been catching since he started playing baseball. There are a few things he’s always liked about the position, one of which is the fact that catchers are constantly involved in the action.

“I always wanted to be catcher since I was a little kid. My older brother got me into it and I’ve been catching ever since Junior Majors at eight years old, when I was allowed to,” says Dylan. “The reason I loved catching was I thought it was cool. Catchers wore their hat backwards, had the helmet and mask over it, and are a part of every play. For me, I like to always be a part of every play.”

Even though catching drills are grueling, Dylan enjoys doing them because he knows how much they help him progress. Dylan’s coaches always made him work hard in practice this summer and it all paid off.

“It was extremely important. All the workouts with [Coach DeRosa] and his brother Mike, who is a catcher, really helped me. He showed me that I need quick hands and quick feet, which really helped me,” says Dylan. “In the blocking drills, he’d take a bat, throw the ball up, and hit it pretty hard into the ground. I really think that helped me with blocking because he’d hit them so hard and it was like a game—maybe even harder than a game.”

At the plate, Dylan was relied on for his effective situational hitting. Whenever a runner was on, Dylan always seemed to do his part and at least advance him up one base.

“I hate striking out. I strike out very rarely. To me, a strikeout does nothing,” Dylan says. “At least getting the bat on the ball can be productive. In my head, nothing good can come of striking out.”

Dylan appreciates everything he learned in his first season with North Haven’s Legion program. One of the biggest things Dylan learned is the importance of conditioning while playing one of the most-taxing positions on the field.

“It’s tough. Catching is a tiring position and it’s demanding on your legs. It’s the hardest position to play because you get beat up so much,” says Dylan. “Playing for [Coach DeRosa and Post 76] really helped me improve a lot this year. With my catching, we did a lot of drills. I did very well blocking this year and throwing runners out. He had great conditioning workouts that kept me in shape.”