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BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell has announced its 2015 baseball team captains, senior right-handed pitchers Heath Bowers and Coley Thompkins, as well as redshirt junior catcher Steven Leonard. The trio was voted on and elected by its teammates.
"Being able to empower our guys to be leaders is part of what we need to do as coaches, trying to develop these guys, not just as baseball players, but as men and future leaders in our communities," said head coach Justin Haire. "Allowing them to have more ownership in the program and a sustained voice…not only going to help our team, but it's going to help serve these guys in the future. I think it gives some of our younger guys something to aspire to."
Bowers is a two-time All-Big South selection, earning First Team accolades as a junior last season. The Lillington, N.C. native posted a 10-4 record with a 3.04 ERA in 19 appearances in 2014, and owns 21 career wins heading into his senior campaign, one of five Camels ever to reach 20 win mark.
"To be voted as a captain means the world to me because it means that my teammates and coaches respect the way that I do things, not just that I'm a good player and I can help us win," said Bowers. To be a leader, to be a captain, it's not just about being a good baseball player. There's more to it than that. It has a lot to do with how you show up every day, your preparation, the way you work, and just the way you can communicate with your teammates and enjoy being around them. All of these guys, they're not just my teammates, they're my brothers, and I've been telling them that since day one. I feel like it's mine, Coley and Steven's jobs to make sure that this is a brotherhood here, not just a team. That's how you win championships, treating each other like family."
Thompkins fashioned a 2-2 record with a 4.75 ERA in 20 appearances, last season, tossing 30.1 innings and striking out 15. In the 2014 Big South Tournament, the Wilmington, N.C. product registered his first career start, allowing a run with two strikeouts and no walks with 4.1 innings, helping Campbell defeat High Point and clinch a spot in the league's championship game.
"Being a captain for Campbell Baseball is an indescribable honor for me," said Thompkins. "Coming from where I came from, signing on to a 17-win program, not playing a lot as a freshman, having to earn my role and everything that I've gotten since I've been here; it's a huge honor. That said, it would not have been possible without the leadership from the guys that came before me. I learned this role from those guys. I watched them do it every single day, and now I just try to bring that same attitude, that winning mentality, every day to our team."
Leonard batted .293 in his first season with the Camels, adding 41 runs scored and 29 RBI after transferring from Iowa Western Community College. From Monument, Colo., Leonard hit .348 in the Big South Tournament, earning all-tournament recognition, scoring eight runs with three stolen bases to help lead Campbell to the title. Leonard started 58 games for CU, including the team's final 26 games behind the plate, and 54 in all at catcher.
"Being a team captain means everything," said Leonard. "To be voted by our peers, teammates, our friends and family, really. I'm from Colorado. I came a long way to play baseball here, and those guys are my family here. So being voted by them as a captain is amazing. It's a lot on our shoulders. The program has been extremely successful over the last three years. Heath, Coley and I really love being a part of this program, so this is awesome for us. I also love seeing Heath and Coley, two four-year guys, captains as well, and I'm extremely happy to be a part of that."
Campbell finished the 2014 season with a 41-21 overall record, tying for the second-most wins in school history. The Camels claimed the Big South Tournament Championship in Rock Hill, S.C., earning the school's second NCAA Regional berth.
In the Columbia Regional, No. 4 seed CU picked up its first-ever NCAA Regional win, knocking off third-seeded Old Dominion 4-1 in 12 innings.
Campbell has won 131 games over the last three years, and is one of just eight programs nationally with three consecutive 40-plus win seasons.
CU wrapped up its fall schedule Friday, Nov. 7, with the Orange & Black Classic. Thea team's fall schedule also included a trip to the Miracle League of Smithfield, scout day, alumni day and Trick or Treat with the Camels in addition to several scrimmages.
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