The University of the Pacific, in the Central California town of Stockton, is proud to host the Nike Baseball Camps in Stockton. The 170-acre campus on the banks of the Calaveras River, offers campers a memorable week of baseball with some of the University’s best baseball coaches and players. 

Lead Instructor for the week is Head Baseball Coach and former professional standout Ed Sprague.  Between the lines, Sprague's arrival brought a championship pedigree to Pacific Baseball as he was the starting third baseman on the 1987 and 1988 NCAA Championship teams at Stanford. In the summer of 1988, Sprague collected another championship as he won a Gold Medal with USA Baseball in the Summer Olympics. Following his collegiate career, Ed was selected in the first round of the 1988 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. He made it to the Major Leagues in 1991 with the Blue Jays and enjoyed an 11-year career as a big leaguer. His knack for winning championships continued at the major league level as Sprague helped the Blue Jays win back-to-back World Series Championships in 1992 and 1993. Later in his career, as a Pittsburgh Pirate, Sprague earned a selection to the 1999 All-Star Game. Sprague hit 152 career home runs and tallied 558 RBI, including single-season bests with 36 home runs and 101 RBI in 1996 with Toronto. He also played with the Boston Red Sox, Oakland A's, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres.

Directing camp is Head of Baseball Wes Yourth. Entering his 1st season at the University of the Pacific, Coach Wes Yourth brings a background which focuses on overall player development; a philosophy that starts with sound game fundamentals, partnered with an understanding of strength and conditioning principles, nutritional programs, and mental skill development.  Prior to coming to Pacific, Coach Yourth spent four seasons as an assistant coach/program instructor at the community college level in the Bay Area, spending 2007 with Laney College (Oakland, CA), and 2002-2006 with the City College of San Francisco.  In addition, Coach Yourth has put together player development programs on the international stage, spending the summer of 2005 working as an MLB International Envoy in Great Britain, developing ball clubs and the Great Britain Junior National Program.  In 2000, Coach Yourth spent the summer in Bern, Switzerland, developing the Bern Cardinals Baseball Club, which competes at the highest level in European baseball.  The Cardinals eventually went on to win their first Swiss National Championship and a berth into the Euro Cup Tournament.

 

Assisting Wes is Pitching Coach, Jim Yanko who took the reigns of the Pacific pitching staff for the second time in the summer of 2007. Yanko pitched for Pacific from 1986-91. One of the most durable pitchers in Pacific history, Yanko remains fourth in the Pacific career record book with 367.2 innings pitched in his four-year career. Following his time on the mound for the Tigers, Yanko continued to stay involved as a coach. In 1991, Jim began his coaching career as the sophomore coach at Bear Creek High School. The following year, Yanko coached the freshman squad at Lincoln High School. In 1993, Yanko began a three year stint as an assistant coach at San Joaquin Delta Junior College. In 1997, Jim returned to Pacific for the first time, serving as the pitching coach for the Tigers from 1996 through the 1999 season. Yanko earned his first collegiate head coaching position in 1999 as he began a seven year term as the head coach of Delta. Yanko stepped down in 2006 after seven seasons. 

 

Campers attending this incredible week of camp will benefit from playing on Klein Family Field.  This beautifully manicured facility is the first on-campus home for the Pacific Baseball team since 1951 and officially opened its gates on April 18, 2006.  The state of the art facility holds a capacity of 2,500 spectators. The field dimensions are 317 feet down the left field line, 380 feet at the left field power alley, 395 feet to straightaway center field, 367 feet at the right field power alley and 325 feet down the right field line.  

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