When I first read the statement in the Eastern baseball media guide back in February, I was shocked and disappointed. In fact, I thought this was just another joke from Panthers head coach Jimmy Schmitz, who I always felt was a notorious jokester.

But there on page 14 of the guide under the category ‘infield position breakdown’ Schmitz throws his biggest curveball I can remember. The starters at first base, second base and shortstop are no big surprise but when I moved down to third base I had to do a double take.

It is in this paragraph where Schmitz announces freshman Ryan Campbell will take over the hot corner from last year’s starter Jeff Cammann. Schmitz’s exact words are “Ryan Campbell won the starting job this fall. He is one of the best pure best hitters I have coached from high school. He will hit in the middle of the lineup and the best thing about Ryan is that nothing seems to rattle him.”

Despite this ringing endorsement I still wasn’t sold. Due to Cammann’s fearless play he quickly became one of my favorite players on the 2003 Panther team. I fondly remember a late-April weekend series against Eastern Kentucky where it seemed like Cammann did it all, both at the plate and in the field. He wasn’t the most graceful fielder but he got the job done and most of time he ended up with a dirty jersey diving for balls.

With Cammann being a fan favorite for his sheer grit and determination on the diamond, it would be safe to assume Campbell had a lot to prove before he would be treated with the same respect from the Panther faithful.

But after just 28 games, the Sandburg graduate has earned that respect with his powerful bat and positive attitude. With team-highs in batting average (.376), home runs (five), runs batted in (23), total bases (70) and slugging percentage (.642) starting Campbell from day one was clearly the right move and my guess is besides Schmitz, Campbell and Campbell’s immediate family few thought he would put up those eye-popping statistics.

“I really felt he could produce some numbers because in fall practice he was hitting both our top pitchers and the rest of our pitchers,” Schmitz said. “He just has such a pure swing and he’s very mature for his age.”

Unlike many freshman players, the Orland Park native is a clutch hitter and those impressive statistics he has put up have come during key moments in the game. Just last week against Western Illinois, Eastern found themselves down by two runs to a pitcher who had limited the Panthers to only a pair of singles through the first five innings. Up steps Campbell and he starts a three-run rally with a booming double to left-center. In the Panthers most recent game against Jacksonville State on Saturday, Campbell put the Panthers on the board early with a two-run homer in a game Eastern eventually won 4-3.

“I think his ability to come through in the clutch really is because he doesn’t get too high or too low,” Schmitz said. “He has the same approach at the plate all the time.”

As much as I appreciated Cammann’s hard-nose style of play, Campbell will make anyone a fan with his sweet-swing and positive attitude. Campbell IS the future of Eastern baseball and if he continues to play the next three seasons like he has his first, the future looks very bright here in Charleston.