ELLERBE — It’s been a wild and celebratory two and a half weeks for Camron Seagraves and the close of his high school baseball career.
Seagraves, an Ellerbe native, pitched Grace Christian School to its NCISAA 3A state championship win May 19 and followed that with his high school graduation.
Soon after, he was named to the NCISSA’s 3A All-State team following his first and only season with the Crusaders.
The biggest accolade, however, came Monday when Seagraves was named as the 2024 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year for baseball, which covers all associations and classifications across the state.
The 39th annual award, which is given to honor “the nation’s most elite high school athletes” in several major sports, was the first one awarded to Seagraves and Grace Christian School for baseball.
Seagraves shares the honor of bringing the recognition home to Richmond County with Paul McNeil Jr., who earned it for basketball following his sophomore season in 2021-22.
“I was super pumped to receive the news of being selected because it’s such an honor,” Seagraves said. “And only one person from each state receives the award for the sport.
“This solidifies me as one of the best, or the best, high school baseball players for North Carolina,” he continued. “And the fact of that and receiving the award is something I will be able to tell my kids when I’m older.”
At the onset of the season, Seagraves said being named the Gatorade Player of the Year wasn’t even on his radar. He was more focused on winning ball games and helping his team succeed.
Last week, Seagraves was approached by his coaches, who had him fill out the application. That’s the first time he realized it was a possibility.
“I was just focusing on winning games this year, that was the only thing on my mind the whole season,” Seagraves explained. “What made me successful on the mound was my improved command, being able to attack hitters and going into games with a plan and executing it.”
A three-year starter at Richmond Senior High School, Seagraves finished his career at Grace Christian. He signed his National Letter of Intent with Campbell University in December as a right-handed pitcher.
During his senior season in Sanford, Seagraves was dominant on the hill. He recorded an 8-2 record in 11 starts as part of a 20-7 overall record for the Crusaders.
At 6-foot-3, 170 pounds, Seagraves threw 65.1 innings, third most in the NCISAA and top 10 in the state this season, while recording two complete games and one complete game shutout.
That outing ended in a no-hitter for Seagraves, who threw just 76 pitches to record the feat March 16 against Father Judge High School.
Using his expansive repertoire of pitches that reach the low 90s, Seagraves finished his senior slate with 127 strikeouts, three shy of the NCISAA lead and sixth overall in the state. He sat down 47.7% of his batters faced via the punchout.
At a clip of 13.7 strikeouts per seven innings pitched, Seagraves recorded double-digit Ks nine times, including a single-game career-high 17 Ks against Legion Collegiate Academy to end the regular season.
Other impressive pitching statistics include a .116 opponent batting average, a 1.71 earned run average, a 0.98 WHIP and a 1.12 fielding independent pitching average. Seagraves allowed two or fewer runs in six of his 11 starts.
Offensively, Seagraves batted .333 (third on his team) with 25 hits. He had seven multi-hit games with four doubles, a home run and 13 runs batted in. On the bases, he swiped seven bags and scored 23 times.
Currently, Seagraves is ranked as the nation’s No. 160 prospect in the graduating class of 2024.
“Playing at Grace made me a better pitcher because I had an ex-pro and pro pitching coach working with me, and having him to talk things over with every day,” Seagraves explained. “And I had another pitching coach by my side making plans for hitters and working on things in bullpens during the week.
“I had fewer classes this semester because I was done with all my credits except one, so I was able to focus more on baseball during and before the season.”
In a press release, Gatorade stated this award “celebrates the nation’s top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community.” The Gatorade Player of the Year award extends beyond the classroom, something Seagraves has a lot of pride in.
Graduating with a 4.3 weighted grade point average, Seagraves was a member of Grace Christian’s National Beta Club.
Earlier this spring, Seagraves and his high school team traveled to the Dominican Republic for a volunteer service-mission trip. While there, he donated his time at local orphanages, churches, a senior housing center and participated in neighborhood cleanup initiatives.
Another community service project he was involved in was coordinating a baseball camp which then donated equipment to children in need.
“Doing our mission trip in the DR helped me realize how blessed we are with the many simple things we do and use every day,” Seagraves shared. “Along with this, the mission trip definitely helped with getting selected on the community merit part of the award.”
Up next for Seagraves, he will await the 2024 MLB Draft, a childhood dream he’s set his mind on achieving. The Draft is scheduled for July 14-16 in Arlington, Texas. He said until the Draft happens, his future plans aren’t set in stone.
“I’m just trusting God and his plan for me,” Seagraves said. “If the Draft works out now, that’s what I will do. But if it doesn’t, I will attend Campbell and play professional baseball after that.
“I’d like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to attend Grace and be successful this season,” he closed.
“I’d like to thank my parents for everything they do for me. And I’d like to thank all of my coaches that I’ve had from Grace Christian and Richmond who have helped me throughout high school or before.”
