Power surge

Michael Camporeale loves to hit. He always has. But, strangely, he does not like where he has been hitting this season for the Washington baseball team. “I don’t really like the four hole to be honest,” Camporeale said. “You get a lot of off-speed pitches. It’s nice to say you hit there, but it’s not nearly as easy as hitting lower in the order, where you get more fastballs. The pitcher really brings his best stuff against you because he knows he can’t make a mistake.” Although he may not particularly enjoy the cleanup spot, Camporeale has more than succeeded there. In his senior season, the outfielder/designated hitter has hit a robust .315 with a team-leading five home runs and 26 RBIs despite playing in just 34 games. Of course, putting up big numbers is nothing new for Camporeale. It’s something that he has always done. For as long as he has played baseball, Camporeale has been a power hitter, driving in runs in the middle of his teams’ batting orders. But despite his ability to drive in runs, Camporeale has consistently been overlooked by coaches, often going unnoticed or underappreciated. Camporeale has been a presence in the middle of his team’s batting orders since his days at Chatfield Senior High School in Littleton, Colo. The power he has became especially evident during the final two years of his high-school career. But before that, Camporeale was mired on the junior varsity team, biding his time. Although he had the talent to play varsity, his coaches decided to keep him on junior varsity, as was typically the case with younger players. “My high school didn’t really like putting younger kids on the varsity team,” Camporeale said. “My sophomore year, one of my good buddies was the only sophomore to make varsity. It was kind of disappointing not making it, but it ended up going pretty well.” Called up to varsity for his junior year, Camporeale led his team to a third-place finish in the state playoffs. Despite playing well during that season, Camporeale was ready to forget about the idea of playing baseball in college. His life was taking him in a different direction, and he had accepted it. He was ready to hit the road to go to Colorado-Boulder, a school that doesn’t even have a baseball program. He had a roommate and a dorm too. But that was all before his senior season. That year, Camporeale caught fire, starting the season with six home runs in his first five games. He set school records by hitting .615, with 14 home runs and 44 RBIs. He was named team MVP and led Colorado 5A baseball in home runs and RBIs. Even with his spectacular season, there were no scholarship offers rolling in for Camporeale. With no Division I offers, he decided to send his tapes and information to a number of junior colleges in the West. Within a few months, he was on his way to California to play at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo. At Cuesta, Camporeale finally got away from being overlooked. He developed into a solid, everyday player for coach Bob Miller his freshman year. He hit .328 with a team-leading 18 extra base hits, five of which were home runs. But that was only a preview of what was next. Camporeale broke out during his sophomore year at Cuesta, hitting .403. He led the team in runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBIs, batting average, slugging percentage, and stolen bases. He was named Western State Conference MVP and made the California junior college all-state team. “I really enjoyed my time in junior college,” Camporeale said. “Those first two years were really fun. I’m still in contact with a good amount of my junior-college teammates. I wouldn’t trade it. I’m really glad I chose to go there.” Finally, after that spectacular season, the offers started to come. A few Division I schools began recruiting Camporeale. He took a visit to UC Riverside and was also heavily recruited by Kent State. But, after mutual interest from Washington and a visit to the campus, Camporeale said he had an easy decision to make. “I was blown away,” he said. “It was everything. The school and the facilities were so much nicer. The big thing was getting to play in one of the best conferences in the nation. Those other schools dominated small conferences, but I wanted to stay on the West Coast.” During his first year in Seattle, Camporeale became an important piece of the UW lineup, hitting .270 with a team-leading four home runs. Everything was adding up to a potential breakout senior season for the outfielder. But this February, things changed with one swing of the bat. Camporeale was taking batting practice when he felt a pop in his back after a hack. He returned to practice unable to swing and in severe pain. Camporeale took a cortisone shot, which lasted a few weeks, but his back began acting up again and he had to take another rest. As he was on the shelf recuperating, his team struggled mightily. The Huskies got out of the gate slowly, losing 20 of their first 28 games with Camporeale playing minimally. He finally got back out on the field for good April 7 in a 4-1 loss to Pepperdine. The next day, the Huskies played at Cal State Northridge. Camporeale hit two home runs in the game, setting off a hot streak that hasn’t really stopped. He has hit .385 since that day, with five home runs and 23 RBIs in 20 games. “I got some confidence back, which is what I needed,” Camporeale said. “The Northridge game kind of jump-started me a little bit. I’m just happy the wind was blowing out.” The success he has had at the plate has been a key part of the UW’s recent turnaround on the field. After struggling for so much of the season, the Huskies have won 10 of their last 15 games, with five series wins during that time. Camporeale’s teammates know that he has been instrumental in the improvement. “Michael brings a ton of pop to our lineup,” second baseman Robert Pehl said. “He’s got the most power on the team. Every time he goes up there, he has the ability to drive the ball out of the park or into a gap and change the game. When he does that, we put up a lot more runs.” His team’s early-season struggles all but guarantee that Camporeale will not play in the postseason in this, his senior, season. While that is frustrating to him, Camporeale still has goals in mind. He simply wants to win as many games as he can. That being said, Camporeale is not sure what the future holds. He’s a political science major, but he hopes to give professional baseball a shot. “If I don’t play next year, I’ll miss it, but I won’t be too upset,” Camporeale said. “If I do have the opportunity, I’d love to be able to say that I played professional baseball. Obviously the odds are stacked against me, but I think I’ve got a pretty good opportunity.” The odds may be stacked against him, but Camporeale has come this far despite being overlooked. Maybe it isn’t far-fetched that he could beat the odds again. Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12

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