Living In The UP Brings Challenge For Kelly

GLADSTONE - The impact of covid on the recruiting process just added to the difficulty Cam Kelly has experienced living in the Upper Peninsula.

“It’s been tough,” admitted the top-ranked 2022 uncommitted outfielder in Michigan. “Being from the UP it’s tough getting exposure any way. Nobody wants to come up to see high school games. I love it here, but it’s a challenge. Getting seen is tough.”

Through it all, the incoming senior at Gladstone Area High School has done his best to get noticed.

“I’ve been going to PBR showcases in Michigan and Wisconsin,” Kelly related. “Both are really good at offering exposure. I only live two hours from Wisconsin, so it’s nice to have both organizations to use.”

Travel is nothing new to the ninth-rated uncommitted 2022 in the state, whose travel team is based out of Green Bay.

“It’s two hours to practice, and tournaments are pretty far away,” Kelly noted. “It’s a lot of car time, but I don’t mind it.”

Whatever it takes to be noticed for Kelly, a quarterback on the gridiron who has also had interest as a football recruit.

“I’m an athlete and I’m fast,” Kelly said of what colleges he has talked with like about his game. “I put the ball in play and I’m a pretty good base runner.”

Gaining speed is one area the 6-0 185-pounder has shown improvement of late.

“I’m faster,” Kelly pointed out. “I’ve hit the weight room hard and added a couple pounds.”

But the desire to get better never ends.

“You can always get faster and work on hitting,” Kelly said. “Being better than last year … that’s the goal.”

Aaron Wilson is impressed with what he has witnessed in the sixth-ranked 2022 outfielder in the state.

“Cam is an athletic prospect that has a well put-together frame,” the PBR Michigan Director of Scouting said. “He shows the ability to drive the ball into the gap while keeping a simple approach at the plate. He produces both in-game and in the showcase. He will be a catch for a college program.”

Kelly has an idea of what he is looking for when it comes to a future college.

“I’d like to have the bigger-school experience,” explained Kelly, who lives in the community of Gladstone which has a population of 4,000. “Being from a smaller town, it would be nice to go out of state but that really doesn’t matter to me, I’d just like the bigger-school experience.

“A good baseball team and a good academic school would be great. After all, I won’t be playing baseball my whole life.”

Kelly believes he can be a major asset to whatever college program he becomes a part of in the near future.

“As a player I’ve prided myself in never giving up no matter the score,” Kelly noted. “You’re not only playing for the letters on your chest, but the letters on your back. I’m always competing at 100 percent. That’s something I pride myself in.”

With a dentist for a father and massage therapist for a mother, pre-dental, kinesiology or something in the healthcare field are potential majors for Kelly, who hopes to make a college decision sooner rather than later.

“Ideally, I’d like to know by the end of this travel season but if not that’s okay,” explained Kelly, who pointed to club coaches Jason Berken, Eric Cordier and Jordan Getzelman as major influences in his baseball development.

The hope for Kelly at this point in the recruiting process is to be seen by the right program.

“I’m going to be playing a lot of baseball with my summer team,” noted Kelly, who is playing with Impact Sports Academy for the second year. “We’ll be playing in some big tournaments and I’m expecting a great year.”