Zach Campbell
Photo by Angie McDonald
Hitting tape-measure home runs suddenly has become a way of life for Zach Campbell during his final baseball campaign at tiny
Blue Eye (Blue Eye, Mo.), population 149.
During a recent two-game streak, the 6-foot, 185-pound outfielder belted six consecutive home runs to tie a national record that is shared by six others.
The streak was incredible enough by itself, but Campbell added to his growing legend by belting two over 400 feet onto the roof of a nearby gymnasium. A couple weeks earlier he had smashed one against Forsyth that reached a prodigious 460 feet.
“The pitcher didn’t even look back (on the 460-foot shot). The right fielder didn’t look back, either,” Blue Eye coach Jack Dickey said. “It was just how quick it came off his bat.”
Looking at his unexpected record, Campbell said, “It’s really an honor. I’m really thankful to be blessed by God. It’s hard enough to hit one. I’m seeing the ball really well.”
The left-handed hitting slugger hit homers in his final two at-bats as the Bulldogs blanked Clever, 10-0. Then he unloaded four during his next outing, a 27-4 rout of Spokane in five innings. After the streak had reached five, he was hit by a pitch (an unofficial at-bat) before finishing with No. 6.
“I even hit two curve balls out,” Campbell said proudly. “The other four were fastballs.”
Campbell’s fought through a slump before unleashing his recent slugging heroics.
“At the beginning of the year I was struggling, because I started widening my strike zone (swinging at bad pitches)," Campbell said. "Coach Dickey got me straightened out. I started getting more walks and waiting for a pitch I could drive.”
“He was pressing the first part of the year," Dickey said. "We would play and then sit for a week (due to bad weather). He wasn’t swinging at balls in the strike zone. We got that fixed and he’s starting to rip the ball – a hard out. He’s got such quick hands and a lot of power.”
The streak ended during his first trip to the plate against Billings.
“To be honest, I didn’t feel any pressure,” he said of his two-game rampage. “We had (some time) off until my next game and it really started to sink in. I hit a one-hopper to the shortstop and he stepped on second for a force out. I had a good pitch to drive, a low, outside fastball, and I hit it hard.”
The Blue Eye slugger currently is batting .408 with six doubles and 10 home runs in 17 games. He has driven in 24 runs from the No. 3 position in the lineup and scored 22. During the 14-2 fall season, he batted .553 with 10 doubles, eight homers and he drove in 26 runs.
Campbell never looked at himself as a home run hitter.
“I’ve always had power, but I’ve always hit for a good average," Campbell said. "I’m more of a line-drive, gap-to-gap hitter. This year I really came alive and I’ve been a lot stronger. Line drives that I hit for doubles (last year) are carrying out. I don’t have any flaws in my swing – it’s just natural.”
He gets plenty of batting practice with his girl friend, junior softball pitcher Ashton Porter, doing the throwing.
Campbell started at second base during his first three varsity campaigns and he also does some pitching. As an outfielder he gets a good jump on the ball to offset his lack of great speed.
The Blue Eye star has signed with Division II Missouri Southern, based in Joplin, Mo.
“I’m set on going there unless I get drafted," Campbell said.
"He definitely can swing the bat," Missouri Southern coach Bryce Darnell said. "His swing is very natural and very effortless. (His new-found power) is a credit to his work and getting smarter as a hitter.”
Though his power-hitting profile is just beginning to emerge, Campbell has been under-recruited. No pro scouts even have come around to take a look.
“It’s hard to get looked at down here,” Campbell said of his tiny hometown. “People can’t even find out where Blue Eye is (about 15 miles south of Branson).”
Campbell also was a standout defensive player on the Blue Eye basketball team. He belongs to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Consumer Leaders of America. He carries a 3.83 GPA and particularly enjoys history.
Playing Major League baseball has been his dream since he was swinging “a big old red Wiffle ball bat” at age two. Thus he is unsure about a college major. He reasons that if he doesn’t make the Majors, he might go into sports management or become a trainer “so I can stay around the game.”
“I’m going to live my dreams to the fullest," Campbell said. "I’m going to give everything I have (to play professional baseball).”
