All-Metro baseball: North's Cameron Decker was on a different level at the plate

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Cameron Decker understood why even if he preferred different.

People showed up at North High School throughout the high school baseball season. The reason being Decker. So, he walked to the practice field and went through batting practice or anything else they asked.

Why the spotlight? These were Major League Baseball scouts. They wanted to see him hit a baseball. Deep down though, he didn’t like being placed on a different level than others.

These scouts knew something. Opposing coaches knew it too. So did his own coach and teammates. Decker was different. All you had to do was watch this spring.

The North standout is the Courier & Press All-Metro Player of the Year following one of the best individual seasons in program history. Chosen by the sports staff, it is his second straight selection.

“Everybody knew who he was,” said North coach Jeremy Jones. “(Yet) to just blow past his numbers from a year ago is mind boggling. Knowing people are not going to pitch to him makes it more impressive.”

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: Here is the Courier & Press All-SW Indiana team/POTY

There was potential for Decker to do something special every game.

The shortstop batted .447 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI. Those were just the start. Decker posted a .617 on base percentage and an absurd 1.684 OPS during his senior season. There were 32 walks to only 11 strikeouts. Nearly 70 percent of his at-bats were considered quality at-bats.

The program record book is incomplete, but those dozen homers is considered the most ever. There weren’t many in the state who could swing the bat like Decker. He also played strong defense highlighted by his range and arm at shortstop.

“I wanted to affect the game on both sides of the ball,” said Decker. “I had to switch my mentality because nothing was over the plate. It was inside or outside, up and down. It took a lot of adjusting.”

Expectations were high from the moment he joined the program. Decker was batting cleanup in the postseason as a freshman. He finished with a .382 average and 16 extra base hits as a junior. What eventually separated him was the time he puts into becoming the best player possible.

He’d follow up a 2-plus hour practice at North with lifting at home and likely more time in a batting cage. Decker also got stronger every season, adding 25 more pounds of muscle this past year. It led to one of the best seasons you’ll see.

Decker hit six home runs in the first three games. He tallied up 20 extra base hits. Teammates would stop at practice to watch. None of it came as a surprise to Jones.

“Cam really is the hardest worker I’ve ever had,” he said. “There was no off time. Cam put it upon himself to make him a better player. He looked like a 24-year-old walking down the hallway at North. What he does with the baseball, it literally stops practice when he takes BP.”

The season he produced defies what should have happened. It's because opponents refused to let Decker beat them. First pitch breaking balls were a given. The kid went weeks without seeing a good fastball.

Those six home runs on opening weekend? Five were against curveballs. Decker was intentionally walked three times in one sectional game. North kept winning because others – notably junior Rylee Singleton – produced behind him in the lineup.

Jones didn’t blame his fellow coaches. He’s pitched around great hitters – the North skipper pointed to former Memorial standout Drew Ashley as an example – and knew how he’d approach Decker.

“I’d walk Cam,” said Jones. “Your job as a high school coach is to win. It had to be difficult. The ability to block everything out and go up there with a good approach puts him on such a different hitting level than anyone I’ve had before.”

It’s why all of those scouts flocked to North. The attention intensified following his monstrous opening weekend. Since the season concluded, Decker has attended multiple MLB Draft workouts. He's continued to lift and hit. Yet, it’s still difficult though to determine where he could be selected in July.

There are only 20 rounds this year. His bat is good enough. But will teams prefer a proven college hitter who could help them quicker? Decker and his family have a number, both round and compensation, in mind for what it would take to forego college.

“It really hit me after that first weekend when I blew up,” Decker said of the attention from professional baseball. “I got in a groove after that, settled in and just focused on what I could do. I’ve talked to some teams and got good information.”

He is scheduled to enroll at Central Florida following the North-South All-Star Classic this weekend. The next step is getting stronger and settling on a position, whether it’s infield or outfield. If he keeps hitting like this, Decker knows they’ll find him a spot.

However, the All-Star series will be the final time he represents the Huskies – Jones is also the South head coach – on the diamond. Decker has no regrets from his high school career. The team may have fallen short of some goals this season, but he always knew the effort was there.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I enjoyed every bit of it,” said Decker. “Coach Jones doesn’t take anything lightly. We practice, practice and practice. Always work hard and take nothing for granted. North baseball taught me to play for a love for the game.”

Curt Welch of Castle is the Courier & Press All-Metro Coach of the Year. The Knights went 26-4 before losing in extra innings to Jasper in the sectional championship. Castle also ran the table to win the outright Southern Indiana Athletic Conference title.

Follow Courier & Press sports reporter Kyle Sokeland on Twitter @kylesokeland.

Courier & Press All-Metro Baseball Team

Position, Name, School, Year, Average

C: Adam Evans, Memorial, Sr., .365

C: Zach York, Harrison, Sr., .321 

1B: Rylee Singleton, North, Jr., .460

2B/SS: Caleb Niehaus, Castle, Sr., .330

2B/SS: Cameron Decker, North, Sr., .447

3B: Gavin Schippert, Reitz, Sr., .328

INF: Jackson Mitchell, Castle, Sr., .424

INF: Stone Silver, Reitz, Sr., .358

INF: Brandon Juarez, Evansville Christian, Sr., .395

OF: Josh Russell, Memorial, Sr., .462

OF: Bryce Humphrey, Mater Dei, Sr., .363

OF: Jaxon Henke, Central, So., .333

OF: Aaron Nehls, North, Jr., .341

DH: Eli Pillsbury, Castle, Sr., .390

P: Cameron Tilly, Castle, Jr., 7-0, 0.68

P: Ethan Lyke, Central, Sr., 5-0, 1.09

P: Will Coleman, Castle, Fr., 6-1, 1.91

P: Cooper Chinn, North, 6-2, 3.23

P: Nick Wangler, Memorial, Jr., 5-3, 1.87

Player of the Year: Cameron Decker, North

Coach of the Year: Curt Welch, Castle

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: All-Metro baseball: North's Cameron Decker produced incredible seaosn