Former Oiler great back home

He has been a hit on YouTube and next week, Hank Conger hopes to hit it big at a local youth baseball camp.

Conger will be a special guest at a summer baseball camp that begins Monday at Ocean View High. The camp, run by Sluggers HB and Mizuno USA, is a place where a young Conger took instruction.

The Huntington Beach High grad, who caught Collin Balester of the Washington Nationals for two years when the two played for the Oilers and then went on to become Gatorade’s 2006 State Player of the Year during his senior year, is now playing for the Angels’ minor league affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League.

A catcher known for his hitting prowess, the 20-year-old was the ballclubs’ top pick and 25th selection overall in the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

“Baseball-wise, I couldn’t have asked for anything more than to play in the Angels organization,” said Conger, 20, who still lives in his family’s Huntington Beach home and has the luxury of driving to all Quakes home games.

Conger, who is hitting .295 with eight home runs and 53 runs batted in this season for the Quakes, is one of several former local players who will be helping out at this year’s camp.

“Mornings at camp will be designed for fundamental baseball instruction and the afternoons will be more about position-specific instruction, where kids can pick certain positions they want to emphasize,” said Darren Nelson, owner and instructor at Sluggers HB.

Nelson was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1987 and played two seasons there and two seasons with the Angels.

“I love that my former students are coming back to help out at camp,” he said. “I feel like a proud father watching my former players go on to succeed and play at the next levels. Probably the most gratifying part of my job [is] seeing these kids grow up. Their families have taken me in and allowed me to be a part of their lives and for that, I am so thankful.”

Nelson started Sluggers HB in 1996.

“Darren was the first hitting coach I ever had. He really helped me out in so many ways, including the structural aspect of hitting,” said Conger, who as a senior at Huntington Beach High batted .449 with 11 home runs and 27 runs batted in.

Conger had been bestowed with multiple honors during his prep career at Huntington Beach, including being named the 2006 and 2005 Cal Hi Player of the Year.

Before his prep career, Conger was a key figure on the Ocean View Little League Majors Division All-Star team that was one win away from playing in the Little League World Series in Cooperstown, Pa.

“I first started working with Hank when he was 9 years old and you could tell then that he had a very special talent and just needed to develop his natural abilities,” he said.

After missing most of spring training and the first month of this season nursing a shoulder injury, Conger, a switch-hitter, has rebounded nicely. During a two-game swing July 17-18, he clubbed five home runs in six at-bats, including three during a 6-1 win over the High Desert Mavericks.

SUMMER CAMP

The Sluggers HB and Mizuno USA summer baseball camp for local youth runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Monday through Aug. 22 at the Ocean View High varsity baseball field. The camp is open to youth ages 8 to 14 and costs $200 per camper. For more information and to reserve a spot in the camp, call (714) 375-1775 or visit www.sluggershb.com.