Lakota West senior is undefeated out of the bullpen

Campbell, a senior, plays outfield and second base for the Firebirds, but where he excels, is on the pitching mound.

He’s a middle reliever, one of those pitchers Gschwind calls on to squash an opponent’s rally.

On Wednesday, Campbell pitched a scoreless eighth inning as Lakota West beat arch-rival Lakota East 1-0. He was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the eighth inning, then scored from third base on a sacrifice fly.

He seems to be the Firebirds’ good luck charm.

Coming out of the bullpen, Campbell is 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA. In eight appearances, he has pitched 15.1 innings, surrendered five hits and recorded 18 strikeouts.

He calls those four wins “a tribute to our team for sure.”

Campbell has the lowest ERA in the Greater Miami Conference and he’s tied for first in wins.

“He comes in those tight games and gets us out of jams,” his coach said.

At the plate, he’s hitting .267 with two doubles and a homer.

“A great luxury to have,“ is how Gschwind describes Campbell. “He can do about anything.”

There are times when Campbell plays the field, he warms up in the bullpen between innings. He must “get hot as possible,” he said.

Campbell was introduced to baseball by his parents, Jeff and Jaime, and has closely followed the Cincinnati Reds and college baseball. He has played baseball for 12 years, he said.

“Love the competitiveness of the sport,” said Campbell, who plans to continue his baseball career at Ohio Northern University.

Lakota West is 15-5 overall and 13-3 in the Greater Miami Conference, second behind Mason.

Campbell credits much of the team’s success to its senior class.

“We have a ton of experience and a cool chemistry in the dugout and the field,” he said.

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