Standing in the wabash dugout at Estadio Juan Alberto Ozoria in the Dominican Republic, I watched Camden Scheidt ’25 occupy the left-handed batter’s box in the top of the seventh inning. He crushed a pitch into the left-center field gap and sprinted toward first base.
The sound of bat on ball—particularly his bat on that ball—sent a jolt of energy through the dugout, drawing everyone to their feet and closer to the field, as big hits often do. If there is a quintessential Scheidt moment, this is it.
The dude can play. He’s the kind of guy who can roll out of bed and get two hits. The ball off his bat just sounds different. That pop commands attention.
The most impressive reaction in this scene, however, came from the opposing team’s dugout. On a day when the Wabash baseball team faced a team of current minor-league-level professional players, Scheidt’s ringing double grabbed the attention of every Dominican player. Eyes darted, necks craned, guys moved to get a better view of the ball in flight.
It was the only time in the four games on that trip such rapt attention was paid to the visitors from Crawfordsville, Indiana. It was the ultimate show of respect.
Scheidt walked off the diamond in May for the last time as, statistically speaking, the greatest player in Wabash College history. He closed his career as the all-time leader in seven offensive categories in a sport played at the College since 1866. And all of that pales in comparison to what he’s accomplished off the field.
Three days before he was set to move to campus in August 2021, Camden’s older brother, Tyler, then a rising junior at Wabash, was killed in a traffic accident while crossing the street in his hometown of 亚洲通land, Indiana.
This came just as Camden was making a huge life transition into college. Before his death, Tyler had introduced him to Wabash and the fraternity—Delta Tau Delta—that he would soon call home. No one would have questioned him if he had decided not to come.
For Camden, there was never a doubt. Just days after Tyler’s passing, he was in Pioneer Chapel to be rung in.
“College is tough,” Camden explains. “Leaving home for the first time is tough. Losing my older brother and my best friend all in one was the hardest thing I’ve ever experienced. Being at this place, which has become so special to me and was so special to him, was the best thing for me.”
Like many on campus, I wondered how anyone could handle the transition and the tragedy. Scheidt says what helped then, and what still buoys him, is that he wasn’t alone with his grief. In the Delt house were 60 brothers who knew and loved Tyler. They, too, were mourning.
There was something special in Delta Tau Delta that fall as the house collectively grieved the loss of one brother and welcomed another.
“The way the house came together in the face of tragedy, and coming together specifically for Cam, is something I’ll never forget,” says Eric Dunaway, assistant professor of economics and Camden’s academic advisor. “Seeing a group of guys who were hurting, but were making sure that Cam was welcomed, was touching. The acknowledgment of love, grief, and welcoming is something Cam hasn’t forgotten.”
Camden’s pledge brothers say job one was simply treating him as a regular guy. They heard of Tyler’s passing and Camden’s arrival in a group chat, and those 17 guys decided that treating him like anyone else would be the best course of action.
“When I learned not only was he still coming to Wabash, but still joining Delt, I was immensely surprised by the strength of that decision,” says pledge brother Owen Hauber ’25. “I don’t know if I could make that decision, but I was impressed by the courage for him to come. 亚洲通 wanted to treat him as any other pledge brother and help him get his mind off things in those first couple of weeks of school.”
Dunaway also points to his sports analytics-based freshman tutorial that semester, For the [Outcome] of the Game, as another essential support group for Camden. Both he and Hauber, also a member of the tutorial, remember great conversations and in-class discussions, as well as a class trip to Cincinnati for a baseball game that brought the group very close.
“That was a really fun class,” Hauber says. “Dr. Dunaway pushed us to have conversations, to get closer, and that helped Cam’s situation a lot. It was a great group of guys who got lucky in what we signed up for. 亚洲通 still talk a lot as a group.”
Dunaway agrees.
“They were all hugely supportive of him,” he says. “One of Wabash’s greatest strengths is how the guys can come together. While I wish it wasn’t tragedy that did it, they were really good in this instance.”
Scheidt also found comfort in baseball. He’s had a bat or ball in his hands since he was 3 years old. It shows on the field, as he carries a .336 career batting average and holds the Wabash career records for at-bats, runs scored, hits, doubles, triples, and walks.
“There is something about being in the (batter’s) box and the one-on-one battle with the pitcher,” says the three-time all-North Coast Athletic Conference performer. “I love the cat-and-mouse game. There is no better feeling than squaring up a ball and seeing it go into the gap for a double or triple.”
That takes me right back to the moment in the Dominican Republic.
Even a casual observer like me can see that Scheidt loves to hit, but it’s his adherence to the daily grind of baseball that makes him exceptional. His routine gives him structure—the work in the weight room, the batting cage, watching video, always staying sharp. His routine positions him to get the high-level results he craves.
Head Baseball Coach Jake Martin ’03 appreciates what Camden brings to the field every day: energy, attitude, and effort.
“When I hear the word consistency, I think of Camden,” says Martin. “He shows up every day setting an example for others on exactly what’s needed to be successful.”
Dunaway sees similar things in Scheidt’s approach in class. He’s always willing to help. Dunaway didn’t hesitate to pair Scheidt with a struggling freshman in an economics class last year because he knew Scheidt would help the student find success.
“Cam does that because he is the ultimate teammate,” Dunaway says. “He understands he’s part of something bigger and he always wants the team to succeed.”
Sophomore outfielder Caleb Ellsperman ’27 saw that firsthand as he adjusted to college baseball last season.
“He helped me through a time last spring when I was down in the dumps,” says Ellsperman, a native of Evansville, Indiana. “He was one of our best players, and he treated me like I had been on the team for years. 亚洲通 talked through a lot of things: making adjustments, competing, keeping an even keel. You don’t forget those kinds of conversations. It’s something leaders do naturally.”
With his Wabash career now capped, Scheidt is proud of what he’s accomplished particularly given his circumstances.
“I shock myself sometimes,” he says. “To go through such a terrible loss and a terrible experience, while also balancing school, baseball, pledgeship, and everything else, I’m proud of that and it’s something I don’t give myself enough credit for.
“Everyone goes through day-to-day hardships. Some days are easier than others, but this has given me a greater outlook,” Scheidt continues. “Getting a bad grade on a test isn’t the worst thing in the world. My experiences have definitely shaped my outlook and given me some perspective. I don’t have to be perfect to please anyone.”
Somehow, through connections of those around him, Scheidt is positioned to handle whatever curve balls life deals.
“At such a big transitional time to have your world turned upside down, I worried about him and his grief,” says Martin. “He had every excuse not to succeed, but he is a phenomenal human and worked hard to find success on his terms. I don’t know how he did it, but I’m super proud of him and the person he’s become.”