Baseball: Elk Grove had their leading man in Camacho

No matter where Christian Camacho was on the baseball field, he was always the macho man.

The Elk Grove senior led his league in pitching, hitting, run scoring and was a top defensive player as well. He was also a three-time member of a Mid Suburban League champion and was the winning pitcher in the last two of those title games.

For all of that, Camacho has been named captain of the Daily Herald's Northwest all-area baseball team.

Camacho, who will play at Auburn next season, had numbers most players can only dream of. He led the area with .512 batting average and also ERA with .801.

The righty was 12-1 on the mound with an astounding 121 strikeouts in 78⅔ innings pitched and a WHIP of .763. He did not allow a home run all season.

At the plate, his OPS was 1.29 and he scored 39 runs while driving in another 24. He had 19 doubles and 2 triples to give him a slugging percentage of .699. And he only struck out six times in 150 plate appearances.

"He just plays the game so smooth and easy," Elk Grove coach Terry Beyna said. "He was real comfortable out there. He has extremely good instincts for the game and he understands the game. That allows him to play so much faster than his peers."

Beyna said Camacho's love for the game translates to his relationship with his teammates.

"He is extremely passionate about baseball," Beyna said. "He is well liked by his teammates and is a great competitor."

Beyna reached down to his sophomore team two years ago when it needed some defensive help. Camacho came up and filled a void at second base while hitting nearly .300 that season as the Grens won the first of their three straight MSL titles.

As a junior, Camacho began to develop on the mound to go with his position play. He was 9-2 with 3 saves and an ERA of 2.145 and a WHIP of 1.047. He struck out 90 in 78⅓ innings and was the winning pitcher in the MSL title game against Barrington.

"I don't think that people realize how good of an offensive and defensive player he is," Beyna said. "If he is not the best, he should be in the conversation to be one of the best two-way players in the state."

Over last summer, Camacho began to work out with weights with Team DiMarini, his summer league team.

"I knew I had to get stronger," Camacho said. "And it really helped me on the mound."

Camacho started to hit 90 on the radar gun and began to attract big-time Division I scouts. When Auburn offered, he immediately accepted.

"I love the chance to play in the SEC," said Camacho, who leaves later this month to begin classes and training. "I know it is far from home. But it has been my dream to play at this level."

Camacho had always had high expectations for himself because he was competing with his brother, David, who is two years older, as well as cousins who were even much older than that.

"I was always a the youngest guy out there,"Camacho said. "They always beat up on me. So I had to play harder to be able to compete. It helped push me get that competitive edge. It really helped me growing up."

Beyna feels Camacho could not only pitch at Auburn but be a position player as well.

"I have told him not to forget about that," Beyna said. "I think he could be an infielder where he is going."

Camacho knows he will succeed wherever he plays at Auburn.

"It is a full-service game that I have," Camacho said. "I can do a lot of things. I have always had confidence in my abilities. So I have never doubted myself in tough situations."