One moment you are in the middle of a pre-game huddle before the first game of the season and the next thing you know you are twelve games into the 2015 campaign! Time flies when you’re having fun. It is baseball season, so no wonder it’s going by so fast.
We opened up the season to a very good start going 2-1 against Northern Kentucky. It was a good first series for us but it’s safe to say that every D1 team is still learning new things during opening weekend. This was true for the Fighting Camels. Even after twelve games there is still much to learn and improve on as the season progresses. The early part of a season is about finding your identity. We have to apply all the things that we have been practicing since the start of the year.
After battling through some rough North Carolina weather we had to postpone a game against inner-state opponent Appalachian State. Nonetheless the show goes on and we turned our focus to our Campbell Invitational against 2 quality opponents. We enjoyed 2 victories over Rider Unversity from the MAAC conference. We split our two games against the Virginia Tech Hokies of the ACC. After going 3-1 in this tournament we felt as if a great deal of momentum had been shifted our way and we ran with it.
After another weather-related cancellation against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks we had another home tournament that included games against Furman, Maryland-Eastern Shore, and Miami (Ohio). We notched wins against Miami and Maryland-Eastern Shore behind some great pitching performances and very solid offense. But once again were forced by Mother Nature to cancel the game against Furman. But regardless of the weather, the Camels were then really rolling.
Due to the cancellations, it was decided to schedule a game with a familiar North Carolina foe, Elon University. Everything was working that night and the Camels came away with a convincing victory. The venue for our next game was changed to a home doubleheader and we set our sights on getting a little revenge against William & Mary, a good ball club that handled us well last year. In a long double-header Wednesday afternoon, we competed and tallied two more wins to our record.
Our pitching is something that has been stellar in the past few years and these Camel pitchers are keeping up the good work. Our guys have been solid on the mound. A number of pitchers are stepping up and want to be “the guy” when they take the ball. Also, our offense is really starting to explode. We have a variety of hitters that have done a lot so far to push this Camel offense to the next level. In saying all of this, one of the most important things about baseball, though, is being able to stay consistent. This is what we have to do to be successful.
So, here we are! We are 10-2 on the season so far and not satisfied. It is important to us to never be satisfied and always keep grinding to do what we can to better ourselves. As soon as any team gets comfortable and settles in to thinking that they cannot be touched, they lose what they hold true to themselves in the form of grit. In “The Creek” we are never satisfied with good or good enough. Maybe my favorite thing about this group of guys is the character that each guy possesses. We are all pulling for each other and bring more energy to each game than anything I’ve ever been a part of in my life. Everybody wants to play and contribute. Each of us is competitive and we want to be on that field. But from the first pitch of every game we are a team that has a commitment to Campbell University and shares a dream of playing in Omaha.
This is how every team should be and why I am so excited for the rest of this season. We take on Bowling Green this coming weekend at home and are anxious to get back to work. Pull for the Camels and keep up with us as we go on this long, exciting journey playing the greatest game ever invented. Until next time, Roll Humps!
Drew Butler
