Campbell Enjoys Home Cooking At Tournament Of Stars

CARY, N.C.—While the state of North Carolina is well represented at the 2016 Tournament of Stars with nine players, infielder Noah Campbell has the easiest travel each day.

Campbell, a student at Cardinal Gibbons High (Raleigh, N.C.), has a 10-to-15-minute drive from his Durham home to the USA Baseball national training complex in Cary each day, making him a de facto host for his Brave teammates.

And his teammates haven’t been shy about asking him for advice.

“Two guys already talked about going to the mall,” Campbell said. “I talked about Southpoint (Mall) and stuff like that. I’ll try my best to introduce them to some of the good stuff.”

Campbell returns to his familiar home after a busy start to the summer, playing in multiple events with the Evoshield Canes and spending last weekend at the Perfect Game National Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla.

The 6-foot-1, 185-pound switch-hitter feels his summer has started “pretty well,” running a 6.78 60-yard dash and showing solid range at the Tournament of Stars workout day Tuesday. He displayed some pop at the plate thanks to his quick hands, and used his short swing to spray line drives all over the field.

But Campbell noted that he is having trouble with his righthanded swing, and he only swung lefthanded in his batting practice session.

“I’m trying to work on some things righty,” Campbell said. “I’d prefer to hit lefty while I work on some things righty.”

A commit to South Carolina, Campbell said he’ll bat righty in the games at the Tournament of Stars and “see how it goes,” but quickly added he’ll just bat left-handed if he feels he has to.

In the end, Campbell is like any other player, hoping to get an invitation to the 18U National Team trials, which take place in September in Houston.

“It’s always a goal when you come to things like this,” he said. “But I just want to show them my hustle and attitude, try my best and work hard.”

But in the meantime, Campbell will enjoy the chance to play in a high-profile event in his backyard. And he’ll happily show off his true North Carolina colors if they ask for food suggestions.

“I’ll probably tell them about some good barbecue places they can eat,” Campbell said with a smile.