Every baseball coach relishes having an ace to hand the ball to in big time games.
Shady Spring head coach Jordan Meadows has one the best in state to fill that role – Cam Manns.
The hard throwing righty has been a beast in the postseason, especially in sectional play.
“I have been saying for two years since Cam pitched against Independence in that sectional game and shocked everyone with a one-hitter, when he is on he is really on. He is fun to watch and he is fun to coach,” Meadows said.
Manns has been no stranger to postseason play during his high school days.
Being familiar with the rigors of the postseason and performing at a high level during that crucial time of the season are two totally different animals.
The multi-talented senior has been a big-time performer when it mattered most for the Tigers.
“He has been to the state tournaments in football, the state tournament in basketball, as well as baseball. He lives for that pressure,” Meadows said. “He is smart on the mound and knows what he needs to throw in each situation. I have said it forever, he is a ‘dawg’ and he has that ‘dawg mentality.’ It is his senior year and he is ready to go.”
After not pitching the final week of the season to build strength, Manns said he was definitely “ready to go” for sectional play which starts this week.
“I am really excited for one last ride with the boys,” Manns said. “It is an exciting time for the team. We just have to lock in and hopefully we can come out victorious.”
Over his days on the diamond in Shady Spring, Manns has typically been a slow starter, but has done a great job of peaking as the postseason arrived.
Much of the slow start can be attributed to the great success of the basketball team that has been to three straight state championship games.
The deep hoops runs, which Manns has been a key contributor in, means a late start for baseball. It was no different this year.
“He had a little hiccup in the beginning of the year throwing a little slower trying to get back in the groove. Now he is dialed in and ready to go,” Meadows said.
After Covid eradicated his freshman season, it was a late start that left Manns as somewhat of an unknown on the hill his sophomore season.
The unknown status quickly changed in the postseason against Independence who was the No. 1 team in the state at the time.
“At that time, I probably did not expect that type of a performance from him,” Meadows admitted. “We knew when he came in his freshman year that he was a big frame that threw hard. We were excited for him, but then Covid hit.”
“His sophomore year, everything got pushed back, so he didn’t finish basketball until the middle of May,” Meadows went on to say. “When he came into sectional play for us in June, that was like his first real test and he shut them down. We knew then that we had something special.”
Manns surrendered just one hit and one run to the Patriots in an 11-1, five-inning win for the Tigers.
Although Shady dropped the championship game in a tight battle that year, it was a sign of things to come for Manns.
With Shady the clear underdog in sectional play last year, Manns again baffled the Patriots over six innings of work, allowing only two hits and two runs to the highly favored lads from Coal City.
“It was a county rival and you want to come out here and beat them. It feels great to get the win,” Manns said after the victory. “I did it last year as a sophomore and it felt great. So, coming in this year I was confident. The pressure was on them to beat us, but we came out with the win.”
The eventual win for the Tigers set up the winner-take-all championship game where the Tigers stunned folks around the state by capturing the sectional crown. Shady went on to win the regional tournament to advance to the state tournament.
“His junior year, he only lost two games and those were against (two-time defending state champion) Logan,” Meadows said. “We were excited for him coming into this season and he had had a great senior year.”
This season Manns is 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA. Over 42.2 innings of work, he has surrendered only 25 hits and has 64 strikeouts.
A big part of his success the last two seasons has been his ability to locate his curveball and throw it for strikes deep in the count.
“If we have a three (balls), two (strikes) count, our pitching coach is not afraid of calling a curveball because he can throw it for a strike,” Meadows said. “It is a nasty curveball and it’s fun to watch. This year he has been working on a change-up too, so he has found a third pitch. Now we can mix it up however we want to.”
The changeup has made life even tougher on opposing hitters.
“My fastball has always been there, but I have been throwing a good changeup here lately,” Manns said. “It has been my out pitch for the last couple of games.”
Known mainly for his pitching, Manns has also provided a big bat this season for Shady. Manns is hitting .405 with eight doubles and 23 runs scored over 24 games. He also has a triple and double among his 32 hits this season.
“This is probably my last year hitting the baseball ever,” Manns said, laughing.” I am just taking advantage of it and enjoying it.”
The reason hitting may be over for Manns is the fact that he has signed to pitch at the next level with Fairmont State University next year.
College baseball uses the designated hitter which generally hits in place of the pitcher.
“I am excited for sure. It is a great opportunity with some great coaches up there,” Manns said. “It’s a great atmosphere and a great area.”
Following what he hopes is a return to the state baseball tournament, Manns will play in the in the North-South All-star Basketball Classic on June 9 in South Charleston.
Manns also hinted that the prestigious all-star game might not be the final time he suits up to play basketball.
“It is a great opportunity. I am really glad they invited me and I am excited to play with (former teammate) Braden (Chapman) one last time out on the floor,” Manns said. “Basketball may not be over for me. You never know when I get up to Fairmont what might happen. I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to play in the game.”
Manns will take the mound Wednesday when the Tigers host Nicholas County with a spot in the sectional title game on the line.