Harnett County, North Carolina is about as rural as rural can get. It sits as a midpoint between Raleigh and Fayetteville, loaded with farmland as far as the eye can see. It's the last place you'd expect a Division I university to be situated, yet hiding in the fields by the Cape Fear River is one of the top mid-major baseball programs in the country.
That baseball program belongs to Campbell University, a quiet private college in the small town of Buies Creek. The Fighting Camels are the biggest thing to come out of the town since Rhett and Link and they have thrived under ninth-year head coach Justin Haire. Once a middle of the road Big South team, Haire has rung off four straight conference titles and is coming off his first 40-win season at the helm. He’s the embodiment, as well as the creator, of the “Nobodies from Nowhere” moniker.
“It’s kind of become a little bit of a staple of our program and it was super organic,” Haire said. He added that the moniker comes from a team meeting three to four years ago. “The thing about us is we’re a bunch of nobodies from nowhere…we don’t have famous names or sign top 100 kids in the country, but what we do have is guys from all over the country that have a little chip on their shoulder.”
Under Haire’s command, the program has seen twelve players depart in the draft, including a pair of first rounders in Zach Neto and Thomas Harrington last summer. Cedric Mullins, a centerpiece in Baltimore that began as a JUCO transfer from Louisburg College, is the most notable mention. That list is expected to expand in 2023, as Haire has what might be his most talented and battle-tested group yet. And it will be no easy task to return to the 40-win plateau in 2023.
The past two years, Haire has scheduled as hard as anyone in the country. In 2021, Campbell’s non-conference strength of schedule was thirteenth in the country. In 2022, it was eighth. They’ll open the 2023 campaign against a Rutgers team coming off a 44-win season and a gigantic snub from postseason play.
“The way we schedule and the way we try to challenge ourselves early….it’s beneficial to us and it certainly puts us in a position to be successful and to be playing our best baseball at the end of the year,” Haire said.
As a way to combat the tough non-conference slate in 2022, Saturday starter Cade Kuehler was given the task of starting mid-week games against the likes of UNC, ECU, and Ohio State. Kuehler, who is the ace of the current staff, would wind up getting Tennessee in regional play. He’d pitch seven innings and strike out ten, and while the ultimate tally was seven runs against, he certainly left an impression. Volunteers skipper Tony Vitello would go on to say, “I hope he can sleep well tonight. That’s some freakish stuff. He pitched with a lot of heart and good stuff,” Vitello said. “I don’t know how that guy is not a first rounder next year.”
Kuehler would also be selected for USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team trials over the summer, ultimately winning a spot on the team and becoming the first ever Camel to earn a spot.
Kuehler has transformed himself since coming to campus. Formerly sitting in the high-80's in high school, Kuehler has one of the best fastballs in the 2023 draft class with ridiculous ride in the mid-90's. To round out his repertoire, there’s a solid slider and curveball, as well as a firm change-up. He's also shortened his arm action considerably and hides the ball well. But most importantly, he's made strides with his lower half, something Haire's staff prioritizes in development.
"My back leg was the one thing we worked on my first two years and I’d say this fall we really transitioned to working on the front leg hip block just so I can stay firm on my front side and not spin off,” Kuehler said. He also noted that the spin off was something that led to him missing arm-side command wise.
He’s just one of many arms on the Campbell staff that have gotten into the mid-90’s this fall, a testament to the work that the development staff has put in. Coach Haire noted that the team likes to take time working on the lower half kinetic chain and staying in rhythm, utilizing the ground for power. In total, ten pitchers on the staff touched 94 MPH or better in the fall. Included in this are David Rossow, Ernie Day, Jeremy Wiegman, Cade Boxrucker, and Daniel Brown.
Day, who was originally a Mississippi State commit, re-opened his recruiting late last spring and ultimately fell in love with Campbell’s program. “After speaking with the coaches and learning more about the program, I fell in love with [Campbell],” Day said. He noted how much of a connection he’s gained with the coaching staff. Day’s arsenal is a fun one, reaching upwards of 96 MPH while also possessing a slider/cutter mix with massive spin numbers that he started using last winter. He also has a curveball and change-up to round out his arsenal.
There’s been a change to his delivery, too. He’s worked on making sure his back knee won’t collapse over his front foot as he threw across his body. “We’ve spent the off-season working on sitting in the [hip] hinge longer…kind of just becoming more linear and having a more straight line to the plate,” Day said. Whatever role Day ends up having for Campbell, whether he makes the rotation or is in relief, he’s ready to go.
Brown, who was actually a two-way guy coming out of high school, is the biggest wild card on the staff. He’s yet to record an out at Campbell, but the stuff is legit, as he’s touched triple digits from the left side this fall with a solid slider. Haire coined him “the Aroldis Chapman of college baseball” once he figures everything out. “He had a good fall from a developmental standpoint. Was it perfect? No. Is he a lot closer to being able to get meaningful outs in a college game? Yes.,” said Haire.
The development on the hitting side follows the same directive. Campbell returns a stout hitting core with Jarrod Belbin, Drake Pierson, Bryce Arnold, and Grant Knipp as the key centerpieces in the lineup. Both Pierson and Belbin missed time in the fall with injuries, but both are coming off near 20-20 seasons for the Camels in 2022. Knipp’s power has also set him apart, as he’s had multiple exit velocities above 105 MPH and has gotten as high as 115 MPH.
Belbin, the resident Aussie in the group, has quite the journey to Buies Creek. Originally from Melbourne, he was selected for a World Showcase and played against the JUCO school he’d play for before traveling across the country and playing for Campbell. He’s a team guy, noting that the 20-20 season will come off of teamwork and leadership.
He’s projected as Campbell’s third baseman in 2023 and there’s been some improvement with his swing over the fall.
“Going into this year, I’m focusing on coiling and staying into my legs as long as possible to create better power numbers.” Belbin said.
He’d go on to note he has also been working on consistently getting his barrel into the zone for a long period of time, allowing him to generate more hard contact.
As for replacing Neto at a keystone position in the field, Haire has said nobody expects anyone to fill Neto’s shoes. The current front-runners for taking over the shortstop position for Campbell include the aforementioned Arnold, JUCO transfer Trenton Harris, and uber-athlete Dalen Thompson. Haire praised Thompson for his talent, though it’s just a matter of putting it all together in 2023. He’s a speedy option at the position with an arm that’s been clocked in the low-90’s across the infield. Harris has been the most consistent glove in the fall, whereas Arnold is a natural shortstop whose bat can’t be left out of the lineup.
The 2023 adventure for Campbell is less than two weeks away and there’s plenty of eyes that will be keeping an eye on what happens down in Buies Creek. A tough Rutgers team will be their first major test right out of the chute, but they’re ready for the challenge. “It’s going to be a great challenge for us and I'm really looking forward to it. It will give us a good representation of exactly where we are right out of the chute and it’ll put a sense of urgency on our preparation leading up to Opening Day.”