ROCKINGHAM — A productive night at the plate on Friday has earned senior baseball player Cameron Way the recognition as the Official Richmond County Male Athlete of the Week presented by HWY 55.
The Raiders started their season last week with three straight wins against non-conference opponents, and Way contributed in each game. He also spent some time on the mound for Richmond.
A three-year varsity player, Way is a reliable infielder on the left side, is a consistent bat and is a vocal leader, helping him earn his first career recognition.
Athletic Profile
Age: 18
Birthday: Aug. 30, 2003
Year: Senior
Spring Sport: Baseball
Position: Infielder/Pitcher
Height & Weight: 6-0, 200 pounds
Years on Varsity: 3 years
Experience: 13 years
“DRIVING IN RUNS” WITH CAMERON WAY
The Raiders swept Montgomery Central High School in two games last week, and added a come-from-behind victory over Butler High School to begin the season 3-0. That’s the best start for Richmond since Way became a varsity starter in 2020.
In Tuesday’s season-opening 7-0 win over the Timberwolves, Way went 1-for-3 at the plate with a single in the bottom of the third. He also drew a walk, and later scored a run in the bottom of the fifth when Matthew Walker hit an RBI double.
A day later, the Raiders used a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning to erase a four-run deficit and eventually defeated the Bulldogs 7-4. Way again went 1-for-3 batting and recorded his first extra base hit of the spring.
Leading off the bottom half of the fourth with a base on balls, Way scored the team’s first run on a double. Way’s double came with two outs in the bottom of the sixth, going to the wall in the left-center gap.
Richmond’s 11-1 win over Montgomery Central on Friday featured a team-high 4 RBIs from Way, who finished the game 1-for-4. His first RBI came on a fielder’s choice to short, scoring Ethan Locklear (single) to put Richmond ahead 2-0.
A six-run fourth inning featured a two-RBI line drive single from Way to center, plating Locklear and senior Alston Johnson. In his final at-bat in the top of the seventh, Way lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home Locklear, who singled three at-bats earlier.
Coach Rob Ransom called on Way to close the door on the mound in the seventh. Way threw just 10 pitches to retire the Timberwolves in order and struck out one batter. He also collected a pair of groundouts.
Through three games this season, Way has a .300 batting average, a .385 on base percentage and leads the team with 4 RBIs. His three runs scored are tied with four other players for second on the team.
Richmond (3-0) will open Sandhills Athletic Conference play on Tuesday at home against Southern Lee High School (1-0). That will be followed by a road game at Jack Britt on Wednesday and an away game at Southern Lee on Friday.
Cameron Way (6) connects on his double against Butler High School during last Wednesday’s game. (Kyle Pillar/The Richmond Observer)
RAPID RESPONSES WITH CAMERON WAY
ROSports: What is your mindset when you approach each at-bat and what has allowed you to be successful in hitting and driving in runs when you’re given the opportunity?
Way: “The main thing is I’m looking for a fastball to hit and not to chase the pitcher’s pitch. I want to get a ball that I can drive. I try to swing early in the count and adjust to offspeed pitches if I get behind in the count.
“The biggest thing is to try to drive in runs when they’re there. It’s not always about hits, so I contribute to the team to get the win any way I can.”
ROSports: How has the attitude and energy of this year’s team been beneficial for the Raiders so far this spring?
Way: “We’re really confident in ourselves and each other, and most of us have been playing together since we were young. That helps us to win more games, especially when our chemistry is really good.
“The attitude is better this year because of that confidence, and I think other people’s low expectations of our team got to us. We’re out to prove that we can exceed those expectations and make some noise in the conference and state playoffs.”
ROSports: The Raiders play three more games this week, including opening conference play on Tuesday. What has to happen for the Raiders to be successful and extend the winning streak?
Way: “The biggest thing is to set the tone early. We’ve waited until later in games to score, so if we can set the tone early by getting some runs, that could set us up the rest of the game and control how we pitch.
“We obviously want to win, and it’s an unwritten rule to not talk about the streak. We only worry about the next game and task at hand. That’s one of our best strengths as a team is to move forward and prepare for the next game.”
The Richmond Observer will publish two more Official Richmond County Athletes of the Week next week.
