CINCINNATI -- 2020 Reds Fantasy Camp is still six months away, but the '19 participants are already champing at the bit to head back out to Goodyear, Ariz. Thanks to Reunion Weekend in Cincinnati, they were able enjoy a fun few days while biding their time until Fantasy Camp returns.

While the highlight of Fantasy Camp is certainly the weeklong camp itself, part of what makes the program stand out are the events that keep the group in touch during the remaining 358 days of the year.

Over the July 19-21 weekend, the 2019 Fantasy Campers descended upon Cincinnati. The group took in a Reds vs. Cardinals game after being honored in a pregame ceremony on the field and played in a reunion game on the field at Great American Ball Park the following day.

Two of the weekend’s attendees were first-time Fantasy Campers Jay Willoughby and Rob Lutz. Many years ago, the two former fraternity brothers from Ohio University promised each other they would make the trip some day and made true on that promise in 2019. They couldn’t be happier about their decision and the Reds’ and Reds Hall of Fame’s roles in making it such a worthwhile experience.

“They do a good job of keeping the family intact for the entire year,” Willoughby said. “To have an opportunity to come here and playing a big league ballpark is a pretty special experience that not many people have a chance to do.

“It’s a first-class organization. They do it right. From start to finish, all year long, it’s a world-class operation.”

It all starts with the camp itself. Picture a bunch of adults suddenly transported back to their youth, getting to run around a baseball diamond with no cares in the world for a week, other than to simply have fun. The unbridled enthusiasm with which the participants talk about their time in Arizona is contagious.

“It’s the best week of your life,” Lutz said. “You’re playing baseball, hanging out with a bunch of guys and women too, but you’re in the locker room again, you’re playing baseball again. It’s been 30 years for me. We’ve got some friends that are a little shy because they didn’t really play baseball. We’re like, ‘Guys, you’re just going to have a blast. It’s not how well you play, it’s just about going out there and having a great time.’ And that’s exactly what it is.”

Attending a pre-camp “signing day” at Great American Ball Park; a week in beautiful Goodyear; being coached by former Reds players; getting your own locker in the Reds official Spring Training clubhouse; receiving an authentic Reds uniform along with several other camp mementos. With everything that is included, it’s hard to believe that there is one thing every person comes back to when describing their favorite part. But if you talk to 10 different campers, you’ll likely get the same one-word answer from all 10.

“Camaraderie,” Lutz said. “It’s like being in a fraternity again. The Reds players they have [the Fantasy Camp coaches], there’s no separation between us. And I hear other camps there is. These guys had fun with us, made fun of us, and just were one of us. They are better ballplayers of course but acted just like one of the guys. You spend the entire week laughing and having fun.

“You see the guys who have been here for like 10 years and they are good, good friends. They get together all the time and are the best of friends. We expect that to happen with some of these guys because we’ve gotten close to them, too.”

One of those guys is John Coletta, better known among his fellow campers as “Satch.” A 10-year Fantasy Camp veteran, “Satch” echoes the same sentiment as first-timers like Lutz and Willoughby.

“You meet new friends every year. The veterans welcome them in, and we organize local batting practices for those who are in town so that when they go out to Arizona, they know people and there’s some familiarity with us. It’s almost a fraternity, there’s no other way to say it. You make lifelong friends all over the United States.”

This year’s Fantasy Camp included a very special participant, Anderson Township resident Kevin Donovan. Just over a year ago, Donovan was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Reds president and chief operating officer Phil Castellini and executive director of the Reds Hall of Fame Rick Walls caught wind that Donovan’s wish was to go to Reds Fantasy Camp. The result? A surprise all-expenses paid trip.

While down at the ballpark again six months later for the reunion game, Donovan was still wrapping his head around the whole experience.

“Complete shock,” he said. “The way it was presented to me, I thought we were coming here to take a tour. And then Phil Castellini brings me in with Rick Walls and tells me I’m going to Fantasy Camp. And then once you get out there … they have the phrase Baseball Heaven, and that’s exactly what it was.”

Donovan's wife, Shelly ,and their three sons, along with a large contingent of family and friends, all traveled to Goodyear to support and cheer on Donovan throughout the week. While all the campers support each other, Donovan’s fan base was by far the biggest.

And while his case may have been a little different than the other campers traveling to Arizona, Donovan was just one of the guys once he arrived.

“Playing out there was just like in high school when I played. All the shenanigans. The coaches were great.”

“They treat them just like they’re a Red,” Shelly Donovan added. “Everything from the way the coaches treated them, to the way they all were teammates, the way they went in the locker room and their stuff was hanging up, feeding them a good lunch to get their nutrition. You feel like you’re a Red and a real part of the team.”

During the on-field ceremonies at the ballpark on the Sunday of reunion weekend, Donovan was given the honor of throwing out a ceremonial first pitch as a part of ALS Awareness Day. With his fellow campers, and now friends, cheering and egging him on to step off the grass and onto the mound, Donovan threw a pitch he will never forget, just one of the many memories he cherishes from Reds Fantasy Camp.

If you want to create your own memories and experience Baseball Heaven firsthand, there are still a limited number of spots available for 2020 Reds Fantasy Camp! Visit reds.com/fantasycamp.