Ever since he began playing T-Ball in the backyard with his father, Cameron Schlittler has dreamed about playing baseball. Now, after a lot of hard work, he is getting the chance to fulfill his dreams in college.
The right-handed pitcher signed his National Letter of Intent on Nov. 15 to play Division I baseball for Northeastern University. In his last season, Schlittler seized the title of the Bay State Herget’s Most Valuable Player, obtained an impressive 7-1 record and maintained a notable Earned Run Average (ERA) of 1.11.
As Athletic Director at Walpole High School, Ron Dowd deemed Schlittler to be a remarkably accomplished player who has greatly contributed to the team’s success.
“He brings a great competitive attitude to the mound, and it rubs off on the rest of the team,” Dowd said. “They see him competing hard, and they try to match it. This makes for a good combination and also a successful team.”
Dowd is not the only one who recognizes Schlittler as a skillful athlete with the potential to carry him far beyond high school baseball. Teammate and fellow pitcher, senior Matt Donato, recalled that it has been his and Schlittler’s dream to play college baseball since elementary school. As this dream becomes a reality for both of them, Donato reflected that Schlittler’s mentality has contributed to his success just as much as his great arm does.
“He's fearless on the mound and always attacking hitters,” Donato said. “I think the sky’s the limit for Cam. If he keeps working at it, I don't see any reason why he couldn't continue on to play professionally.”
“He's fearless on the mound and always attacking hitters,” Donato said. “I think the sky’s the limit for Cam. If he keeps working at it, I don't see any reason why he couldn't continue on to play professionally.”
Looking forward, Schlittler does, in fact, hope to play professional baseball. He is very optimistic about his near future at Northeastern, during which he plans to foster his ambition and skills with a professional career in sight. Not only does Schlittler have personal goals for his college career, he also views his commitment to Northeastern as an opportunity make meaningful connections with his teammates and the noteworthy coaching staff that will mentor him.
“My goal is to have successful years at Northeastern, make a family out of my future teammates and hopefully do well enough to get drafted and pursue baseball as a career,” Schlittler said.
Schlittler has had a strong passion for baseball for the majority of his life. His father placed him in T-ball at a young age and they constantly practiced the game in their backyard at home. He believes that having his father’s influence and support shaped him as an athlete.
“I think my dad has been the biggest help,” Schlittler said. “He has always been there for me and never lost hope in me. He supported me even when I didn’t have my best games. My dad was always an amazing role model.”
Although he has always had a deep connection with the sport, his perseverance and determination have transformed his internal passion into impressive external skill. Despite Schlittler's athletic abilities now, he was not naturally gifted at first.
“When I was younger, I was behind everyone,” Schlittler said. “I wasn’t as good as everyone else, and I got frustrated with myself. There was a point where I just told myself I hate baseball, but I never gave up, and I worked on it.”
Coach Chris Costello sees Schlittler as an elite player and recognizes his attention to the small, yet important details. His thoroughness and hard work have brought him even more opportunities to better himself and earn him the recognition as one of the best pitchers in Eastern Massachusetts, according to Costello.
“[Schlittler] hasn’t even scratched the roof of his potential, and he will be able to find his full potential at Northeastern,” Costello said. “[Schlittler] was the number one pitcher for most of last year; dating back to his sophomore year, he was one of our best pitchers.”
While raw talent and hard work have led Schlittler towards college ball, he feels his conviction in his own abilities has been crucial to enhancing his athleticism. Schlittler firmly believes in self-confidence on the mound, so he has applied this tenet to his daily life as well.
“Baseball has taught me to always have confidence in yourself,” Schlittler said. “When I am out there, I always have complete confidence in myself and my abilities. That’s how it should be for any athlete.”
Both Costello and Schlittler have high expectations for this upcoming season, and they hope to win the championship. While Schlittler has innumerable achievements, he still has more aspirations and wishes to add to his resume this year. His senior year will hopefully end with another league title.
“My expectations are high. We should win the Super 8 [baseball tournament]; that’s how I feel and that’s how my teammates feel,” Schlittler said. “We did very well last year, and we are a young team, so we have the ability to win it.”
Although baseball has served as a passion and life lesson on work ethic for Schlittler, he also values simpler aspects of the sport. Schlittler may possess a growing list of baseball accolades, which he earned through training tirelessly; however, he is similar to most other teenagers in the fact that he appreciates that baseball is fun and requires minimal running.
“I also play basketball. it's great, but we run a lot,” Schlittler said. “In baseball, I don’t think we run any more than 60 feet sprints and that’s mostly because that’s how far apart the bags are.”
Overall, Schlittler is an all-around outstanding baseball player with a bright future on his horizon. According to Matt Donato, he is never satisfied with anything less than his best performance.This summer, Schlittler will further foster his baseball skills by playing with equally remarkable players in Nashville to prepare for college ball and potentially the major league.
“Baseball is one of the most important things to me,” Schlittler said. “It has motivated me in so many ways, like school and how I am as a person. It brings out the true me, and it is one of the things I actually love to do 100 percent of the time.”