“We’ll be back.”
Those were the words of Campbell County head coach Scott Schweitzer following the Camels’ semifinal loss to Bourbon County in last season’s 10th Region Tournament.
Now, the Camels are indeed back, making a statement with a dominant 16-1, four-inning rout in the 10th Region quarterfinals on their home field in Claryville.
“That’s how I always feel about it. We reload,” Schweitzer said. “When one guy leaves, the next one steps in. It’s a well-oiled machine because we’ve had good players come through this program.”
Just as Schweitzer is no stranger to postseason baseball, neither are his players. Their opening game of this year’s region tournament felt like business as usual.
“We have a lot of guys here that have been to the region and have been far in region,” senior centerfielder Carson Clark said. “They know what it takes to win, so we’re going to rally around them.”
Clark, along with Zach Franzen, Camden Tiemeier, Nate Delaney and Tyler Schumacher all started in last season’s final game.
This year, three of the five were slotted at the top of the lineup and helped set the tone early. The group combined for six hits, eight runs, 10 RBI and six stolen bases. Clark led the way with team highs in RBI (four) and stolen bases (three), along with two hits and three runs scored.
The approach on the mound brought a different energy.
Campbell County gave the ball to sophomore Gavin Kramer. While he lacked postseason experience, a strong regular season gave him confidence and he responded with poise.
Earlier in the year on April 15, the Camels defeated Nicholas County 13-2 on the same field. Kramer starred in that regular season game with three hits, four RBI, two home runs and three runs scored.
He delivered again. At the plate he added two hits and an RBI and on the mound he threw all four innings, allowing just one hit and one run, walking one and striking out six.
“There was a lot of pressure, but I told myself to believe in myself, believe that my stuff is good enough to compete,” Kramer said. “After the last game, I was for sure expecting to get on base too. After I got my first hit, I got a lot more confident pitching.”
Nicholas County, which finished the season with a 10-22 record, opened the scoring after Kramer issued a leadoff walk and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position. Jayden Robinson, who earned All-Tournament honors and had the Bluejackets’ only hit, brought home leadoff man Chandler Kenney.
“Gavin is a sophomore getting his first start in a region tournament game, walks the leadoff guy who scores. That’s what you take away from it,” Schweitzer said. “You build on that. No more leadoff walks because he proved the rest of the way he can dominate. He had those sophomore jitters, and now he’s ready to go.”
Campbell County tied the game in the bottom of the first. In the third inning, the Camels exploded for nine runs to take control, then tacked on six more in the fourth to finish the game early.
The win sends Campbell County to its seventh straight regional semifinal.
This year’s tournament comes with a twist—the Camels are playing on their home field for the first time since 2018.
“Honestly, we’re a team that rallies around energy and we’ve been bringing it this postseason,” Clark said. “It’s been a while since a region was played here, so it’s exciting to get to play here.”
Campbell County will face Montgomery County in the semifinals, scheduled for Wednesday night at 8 p.m.
The last time the region tournament came to Claryville? The Camels walked away as champions.
CAMELS 16, BLUEJACKETS 1 (4 INNINGS)
NICHOLAS COUNTY — 100-0xx-x — 1-1-1
CAMPBELL COUNTY — 109-6xx-x — 16-11-0
RBI — (CC) Clark 4, Schumacher 3, Frost 2, Delaney, Franzen, Kramer, Mercurio Tiemeier (NC) Robinson
2B — (CC) Franzen, Richardson
WP — Kramer. LP — Linville.
Records: Campbell County 26-10, Nicholas County 10-22