Shannon Cunningham is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Saguaro High School for AZPreps365.com.

For Cam Caminiti, baseball has been his entire life.

This summer, the shining star of the Saguaro varsity baseball team will be making one of the biggest decisions of his life: signing to play professional baseball or enrolling into college.

Caminiti, a senior who reclassified into the 2024 class, is currently sitting as the projected 24th pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. He's also the 19th-ranked prospect by MLB.com’s top 100 prospects list. 

However, the left-handed pitcher also happens to be committed to LSU, the reigning NCAA Division I college baseball champions. Besides being a powerhouse program, LSU is also well known for developing pitching prospects, with last year's No.1 draft pick and star pitcher, Paul Skenes, hailing from the Bayou. In addition to Caminiti, three other Tiger arms are in the Top 100 potential picks for this year's draft.

College, in most cases, seems like the best decision right out of the gate. However, with Caminiti’s high probability of being selected in the first round of the draft, the signing bonus that comes with the ability to kickstart a professional career might change the minds of most, and maybe even the young Caminiti, making the decision between college or pro ball just a bit more difficult.

“I’ve definitely thought about both pretty seriously. I’ve talked to quite a few MLB scouts and my coaches at LSU a lot,” Caminiti said. “I still need to make the decision. I’ll come out, talk to my parents, my coaches, my friends, my teammates.”

However, this senior season is one that Caminiti would like to focus on remembering for a while. The Sabercats are coming off of a 2023 season where they went 17-1 and made it all the way to the 4A AIA state championship game before falling to Canyon Del Oro. This year's team is currently 18-0 record, good for first place in the 4A Desert Sky Region and and ranked No. 1 in the 4A Conference. Caminiti has already had some stellar appearances under his belt and he hopes to give the team the same chance they had last season in the postseason.

In a game against Bishop Gorman from Las Vegas earlier this season, Caminiti held the tournament’s reigning champions to no runs, nine strikeouts and only one hit. Caminiti also hit 98 mph on his fastball in the first inning in front of about 50 MLB scouts, to accompany his tough slider, curveball, and changeup. In a recent region game against Desert Mountain, Caminiti ended the 1-0 shutout with 16 strikeouts, two hits and one walk. 

Sabercat teammate and friend, sophomore Vinny Keck, has had a front row seat to Caminiti’s development throughout his life, playing with Caminiti since his youth.

“You know, I used to play with him when he was younger and it's been a great experience watching him develop. You know, he’s always been really good, you see him on the field dominating, but you don’t see him off the field, he has really good leadership that he’s developed over the years,” Keck said.

For Caminiti, the feelings of playing with Keck once again are mutual, and the same with some of his buddies on the Sabercats team.

“It’s awesome, it's super cool to see these guys growing up and we’re back together playing on the same baseball field, it’s super awesome, [Vinny] I’ve known him since we were really little,” Caminiti said.

Head coach Joe Muecke also has nothing but high praises for the kind and talented Caminiti.

“Just difference makers, when your best players are also the best leaders, that’s a coach's dream,” he said.

If his last name is familiar to baseball fans, that's because Caminiti is related to the late Ken Caminiti, who played in the late 90s and was the National League's Most Valuable Player with the San Diego Padres in 1996. 

Yet, Cam Caminiti hopes to write his own story on the diamond, and to end it with a successful season and a happy memory to take into the rest of his baseball career, with all close to him wishing him the best.

“He’s had a hell of a year so far and wish him the best of luck going into college, or the MLB, whatever he goes into,” Keck said.