Cameron Brewer has had a pretty good month. On May 31, the Ellington senior became a state champion as the Whippets shutout Seymour to win the program’s first state title.

After a warm welcome back to town, by the fans, Brewer took off on a cruise. When he returned home, he signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Three Rivers.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Brewer said. “It was a pretty exciting deal. I was lucky enough to get an offer from Three Rivers, and I really liked the school, liked the coaching staff. I got to meet a couple of the players, talked to them about the program and they really like it. … It’s going to be fun.”

Brewer put up some remarkable numbers during his senior year. He boasted a .467 batting average with 36 RBIs, 11 doubles and six home runs. The numbers on the mound were just as good. He held a 0.85 ERA with 72 strikeouts, while earning First Team All-State honors as a catcher for Class 2.

“He just brought a competitive nature to the team, and an air of confidence, and I think he passed it onto his teammates,” Ellington coach Jake Hime said. “He just brought a kind of work ethic and love for the game that I think just rubbed off on everybody around him.”

Despite his slew of accolades, Brewer felt the NJCAA was the perfect place for him to continue growing his game.

“I wanted to go JUCO first. It’s definitely going to be a big eye-opener, I’m pretty sure, going from high school ball to college ball,” Brewer said. “I’m looking forward to it.

“... I decided I wanted to go JUCO right when I decided I wanted to try to play college ball. Just to get a little bit under my belt, get used to the lifestyle of college and getting used to a big step up in the game from high school.”

Brewer first came in contact with Three Rivers when he was at a baseball showcase in Park Hills near the beginning of the year. Mineral Area College was one of his first choices, but things didn’t work out with the Cardinals, while the Raiders liked what they saw and attended some of Brewer’s games.

“One of his coaches, Scott Henfling, called us about him and we were able to see him this spring. We really like his arm strength and him being a left-handed hitter,” Three Rivers coach Stacey Burkey said. “He has a great work ethic and excellent character. We look forward to having him as a Raider.”

Ever since he started high school, Brewer has wanted to play college baseball. He realized he had the potential when he was a sophomore. His arm started to develop and he was seeing the ball well and delivering hits consistently at the plate.

“People were telling me if I keep working hard, then I have a chance to play college ball. Around the end of my junior year, I really started getting serious about it,” Brewer said. “My arm was starting to develop a lot then, and I just started thinking I’m going to make the best of this and see what I can do here.”

Brewer might do a little bit of everything for Three Rivers. He could see some time on the mound and in the infield and outfield.

Brewer already has his classes set, and he’ll major in general studies for now.

Nate Fields - Daily American Republic