Castle's Cameron Tilly leads 2023 Courier & Press All-Metro baseball team
NEWBURGH, Ind. — Nothing like this is ever guaranteed.
Immense pure talent? Sure. A strong work ethic? That’s the hope. Not every player has the ability to put it all together and then find success. Castle High School coach Curt Welch knows this.
He also knows to sit back and watch when the stars do align. How else to explain this type of player? How better to encapsulate the type of season that transpired this spring?
Cameron Tilly was that good.
The Castle pitcher is the Courier & Press All-Metro baseball Player of the Year, as chosen by the sports staff. He was arguably the best player at his position across the state and leaves a legacy as one of the best to walk through the Knights’ program.
“Cam had it all,” said Welch. “Just because you work hard or have ability doesn’t mean you’ll have success. A lot of things go into play. He just had the whole package. When kids are at this level, it doesn’t happen very often.”
There wasn’t much debate concerning the top player in the area. All required was watching him.
Tilly produced a spotless 11-0 record with a 0.66 ERA. He struck out 118 batters in 64 innings and gave up just seven extra-base hits (all doubles). Facing 247 batters this spring, Tilly only walked 15 with a 0.78 WHIP.
He had three-plus pitches between his fastball, slider and splitter with the ability to throw each at any point in the count for strikes. The senior was also the Knights’ best hitter with a .391 average, three home runs and 26 RBIs.
You name it, he did it.
“Experience in the SIAC goes a very long way,” said Tilly. “I’m super proud of how our team came together this year. We were counted out in the preseason and proved so many people wrong. I couldn’t have done what I did this year without them. I love that team.”
More: Cameron Tilly at heart of Castle's regional title, but Knights' ambitions are greater
Perhaps the remarkable thing is what also frustrated opponents. Tilly was never "off" this spring. He threw double-digit strikeouts in nine of his 10 starts. Never allowed more than two earned runs in a game. Opposing coaches noted how difficult it was to replicate his talent while preparing to face him.
Here's an example of how dialed-in Tilly could be: In a conference victory against Reitz, the right-hander pitched a shutout with 14 strikeouts and only one walk. He only needed 83 pitches and threw 60 for strikes.
“It’s like a chess game,” said Tilly. “I think my work ethic and skill took me a long way, but the mental side really helped me over the edge this year.”
Castle took advantage of his talent. The Knights went 25-7 and advanced to the final four of the Class 4A state tournament. Their ace pitched like one in the postseason.
He went 6 2/3 innings and struck out 13 in the sectional championship against North. A six-inning, no-run effort with seven whiffs in the regional. A complete-game win with 14 strikeouts at the semistate against New Palestine.
With Tilly on the mound, the Knights knew they always had a chance to win.
“He doesn’t act like he’s better than everybody else,” said Welch. “He just wants to be part of the team and get better every day. He has the confidence to get you out. You wouldn’t know all he’s accomplished by hanging out with him. He didn’t show that.”
He was also exactly what the program needed in terms of leadership. Castle graduated numerous starters the year prior yet still won another SIAC title and advanced further in the postseason.
A young roster was spearheaded by Tilly. He credited the coaching staff but also underclassmen willing and ready to learn. Welch is the co-Metro Coach of the Year along with Central coach Robbie Frank who guided a revamped lineup to 18 wins.
“(Cam) wanted to make sure we had success,” said Welch. “When you lose that many seniors that were that good and worked that hard, it’s kind of tough to recover the next year. Cam didn’t want to let that slide. He wanted to keep the success of the program going.”
More: How Castle, Memorial baseball fell short at semistate to end their seasons
What’s next will also be an interesting chapter. Tilly signed with Auburn University in the fall and is currently taking classes on campus. The Tigers, who lost in the NCAA Regional, compete in the toughest conference (SEC) in the country. Not a bad spot to learn and get better.
There’s also potential for a professional path. Numerous scouts watched his every move this spring. Tilly recently participated in the MLB Draft Combine in Arizona. MLB.com speculated the Team USA gold medal winner “could factor into the top five rounds" in mid-July.
Regardless of where his career goes, Tilly made an impact at Castle that is difficult to ignore.
“Castle baseball is so much fun,” he said. “From freshman to senior year, I made so many memories. Part of having fun is winning, which came in bunches for us. The culture and experience of the coaching staff are next level and the best in the SIAC. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else.”
2023 Courier & Press All-Metro Baseball Team
Position, Name, School, Year, Avg.
C: Tyler Sitzman, Mater Dei, Sr., .385
C: Thomas Lynch, Memorial, Jr., .354
1B: Rylee Singleton, North, Sr., .477
2B/SS: Josiah Dunham, ECS, Jr., .404
3B: Josh Ferguson, Central, Jr., .338
INF: Chris Cranick, North, Jr., .345
INF: Will Coleman, Castle, So., .337
INF: Luke Mayer, Mater Dei, Jr., .361
OF: Cole Decker, North, Jr., .404
OF: Kaiden Bard, Harrison, Jr., .341
OF: Aaron Nehls, North, Sr., .474
OF: JJ Clark, Central, Jr., .360
Flex: Levi Thomas, Harrison, Jr., .333
Flex: Clark Gries, Memorial, Jr., .388
DH: Nate York, Reitz, Sr., .344
DH: Jaxon Henke, Central, Jr., .377
P: Cameron Tilly, Castle, Sr., 11-0 0.66 ERA
P: Matthew Fisher, Memorial, So., 5-3 1.51 ERA
P: Kiefer Parsons, Reitz, Sr. 3-2 1.75 ERA
P: Bryce Minton, North, Jr., 8-1 1.05 ERA
Player of the Year: Cameron Tilly, Castle
Coach of the Year: Curt Welch, Castle and Robbie Frank, Central
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA baseball: Castle P Cam Tilly named All-Metro Player of the Year
