Meet the Camels… A talented team in a little bit of a funk
Who’s the Pack playing?
Opponent: Campbell
Mascot: Kuznechik | School Location: Buies Creek, NC | Conference: CAA
2024 Record: 23-11 (6-6, T-5th) | 2024 RPI Rank: 80
2023 Record: 46-15 (22-5, 1st*) | 2023 RPI Rank: 13
2022 Record: 41-19 (20-3, 1st*) | 2022 RPI Rank: 59
*2022 & 2023 Big South Tournament Champions
When? Where? How do I watch?
Location: Doak Field at Dail Park (Raleigh, NC)
Game Time(s): Tue, Apr 16 @ 6:00pm
TV: ACCNX
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Tell me about this team
The fact that Justin Haire is still in Buies Creek is astonishing to me. Greg Goff had won 40+ games over each of his last three years at Campbell by developing pitching in-house and building a lineup mostly through the JUCO ranks. He figured out what he was good at and it worked.
Haire took over and followed a similar plan, but didn’t have near the results. Actually, the results after his first three years were rather bad. It just didn’t seem like he had the knack for identifying and developing talent and then putting it all together on the field. I admittedly wrote him off and assumed Campbell would be in the throes of an external coaching search.
And then Haire put it together.
Not only did he start identifying the plug-and-play JUCO bats and arms the program needed to start putting more marks in the Win column, but he started developing players, too. Of the four 1st and 2nd round picks Haire has produced over the last five years, three of them (RHP Thomas Harrington, SS Zach Neto, and RHP Cade Kuehler) were players Haire recruited out of high school and then developed into the studs they became.
The question on Haire’s coaching ability is answered. Doing something like winning five regular season conference titles and four conference tournament titles in five seasons will do that. It’ll be interesting to see how long Campbell can hold onto him.
Okay, but let’s look at the 2024 Camels team, a group having a bit of a down season – at least by the recent standards Haire & Co. have set. After starting off the year 16-4, the Camels have gone just 7-7 since, including a surprising 6-6 mark in CAA play, their new conference home. What’s surprising is that 6-6 mark is against Delaware (RPI #123), Elon (213), NC A&T (113), and Stony Brook (106). They still have series with Charleston (81), UNCW (82), and William & Mary (102) to go, with all three of those teams being ranked in the top four of the CAA standings right now.
Make no mistake, this is a very talented and dangerous team. Being four games back with five conference series to go is not insurmountable- especially since they get to face all but one of the teams ahead of them in the standings right now – but the Camels better turn it on soon if they’re going to make it happen.
The lineup has some punch with a team line of .292/.424/.551, 15.4 BB%, 20.2 K%, 56-67 SB (State has a .287/.400/.482, 13.7 BB%, 15.4 K%, 17-23 SB line for comparison). It’s that strikeout number that’s the most worrisome with four regulars sporting K rates above 20.0%. Unsurprisingly, the recent skid for the Camels coincides with the absence of C Grant Knipp (.455/.593/.156, 22.2 BB%, 20.4 K%, 7-9 SB) who was having an absurd year and rocketing up draft boards before getting injured. Missing Knipp’s team-leading 15 HR is a huge miss, and they hope to have him back for the stretch run of conference play.
Pitching has been good enough, and the weekend rotation is solid, but there’s not that 1st round talent anchoring the rotation. They kinda had that for three straight years there. There is consistency in that starting group, though, although they need to get more length out of the starters to avoid a bullpen that has some serious control issues throughout (of the 12 relievers with an appearance on the year, only three are averaging less than 4.5 BB/9.
Can this team make a run? Absolutely. Will they? TBD. It’s uphill, but I’m not counting against them.
Pitching Matchup
Tuesday: LHP Ryan Marohn (FR) — RHP Zach Sabers (rSO)
Key Players:
Offense
DH/OF Lawson Harrill (rSR) – .361/.530/.807, 17.7 BB%, 22.0 K%, 6-6 SB. The Big South Conference Player-of-the-Year in 2023 as well as a 2nd Team All-American by multiple outlets (.371/.475/.761). He’s putting up another All-America type season this year.
LF Dalen Thompson (JR) – .296/.375/.608, 11.6 BB%, 19.7 K%, 8-8 SB. First year as a full-time starter, the Dunn native is making the most of it. Started off his career as an infielder before transitioning to the outfield, he’s athletic and a the bat has come around tremendously.
C Andrew Schuldt (rFR) – .330/.448/.532, 17.2 BB%, 12.9 K%, 0-1 SB. The short and stocky backstop from Cornelius missed most of last year due to injury and has obviously been the primary catcher with Knipp out. Has only thrown out 4-of-35 attempted base stealers this year.
Pitching
RHP Zach Sabers (rSO) – 4-0, 5.22 ERA, 39.2 IP, 9.8 BB%, 16.4 K%. Was a member of the weekend rotation up until missing last weekend. Low-90’s heat and likes the sliders as the secondary offering. JUCO transfer from Iowa, he’s a workhorse he’s thrown 75+ pitches in each of his 8 starts this year. He could just be the first arm out in a Johnny Wholestaff kind of game, but I have a feeling the coaching staff is going to ride him to try and get a resume-boosting win.
RHP Jackson Roberts (SO) – 6-2, 1 SV, 5.10 ERA, 30.0 IP, 10.9 BB%, 21.2 K%. Big South Conference Freshman-of-the-Year last year, he’s not a power arm but has some good stuff. Works in the high-80’s/low-90’s and has both a slider and curveball that show dramatic speed differentials.
RHP Packy Bradley-Cooney (JR) – 2-0, 3 SV, 6.20 ERA, 24.2 IP, 16.7 BB%, 26.3 K%. JUCO transfer out of Massachusetts with a solid build. Offers mid-90’s heat and a tight slider, but can struggle with control at times. Has been a mixed bag, either being almost unhittable or a run-allowing machine with very little in between.
Quick! Fun Facts!
Campbell had five alums reach the MLB level between the 1960’s and 1970’s, but from 1984-2014 no former Camels reached The Show. Since then six Camels have appeared in MLB games, including four this year (SS Zach Neto, LAA; RHP Allan Winans, ATL; RHP Ryan Thompson, ARI; OF Cedric Mullins, BAL).
The Camels have appeared in five straight NCAA Regionals. Prior to that, there were just two Regional appearances in school history (1990, 2014).
There are 20 transfers on the Campbell roster and 22 homegrown players.
Campbell freshman OF Peyton Bonds ( .237/.327/.430, 11.2 BB%, 19.6 K%, 7-7 SB) is the grandson of Bobby Bonds and the nephew of Barry Bonds.
The Key To A Win For State
Get Sabers out of the game early to get to that bullpen, then work them until the control issues surface. From there, it’s just a matter of coming up with the hits necessary to bring in the runners.
Prediction
The series win at Clemson proves to be a turning point for the Pack and they secure a win in this one.
Outcome: State wins, 8-6