Campbell Smithwick devoted to baseball, eyeing MLB future
OXFORD, Miss. (BVM) — Campbell Smithwick is Mississippi’s top catching prospect, and he’s entering his final high school season. He’s eyeing a state title and is ready to potentially hear his name called in the 2023 MLB Draft. But long before becoming a pro prospect, Smithwick was a young baseball player looking to expand his devotion to the game.
“My passion for the sport came at an early age,” Smithwick said. “My dad played the sport, and always having it on the TV was the biggest thing for me and my development. I fell in love with it and growing up, playing it and being involved with baseball as much as I could at a young age.”
Smithwick’s father, Austin, played at Western Carolina, and later in life, Austin taught Campbell the ins and outs of baseball and playing catcher.
“He says he didn’t force me to play it, but I don’t think that’s true,” Campbell said with a chuckle. “I think it was instilled in me. He had the most knowledge, and I fell right into his footsteps and took it upon myself to carry on his position.”
With his family providing the necessary means to become a successful baseball player, Campbell also found himself surrounded by talented players like Walker Jenkins, who helped the Ole Miss baseball recruit get comfortable in his own shoes.
“We played together with USA Baseball this past summer,” Campbell said. “I’ve known Walker for a while; that’s one of my best friends in the whole world.”
Both players grew up in the Carolinas and find themselves as MLB prospects.
“It’s a really cool feeling,” Campbell said. “You dream of those moments like that growing up. I know Walker, he’d say the same thing, so to just see your name on a list like that, it’s super humbling, you’re never satisfied, but it’s good to see that.”
Campbell now lives in Mississippi, where he plays for the Oxford Chargers. Moving to a different state may be intimidating for some, but for Campbell, he was able to settle into his new home quickly.
“Moving to Mississippi was a big change,” Campbell said. “But at the same time, the people here have been really good to me; I’ve had such good friends that welcomed me and made me feel less like an outsider.”
Along with getting comfortable in a new state, Campbell was determined to continue his athletic career at the next level and he made the decision that was best for him.
“My recruiting process was a little different than most,” Campbell said. “I never had a dream school or anywhere where I had to go, so it was really open. Getting to talk to a bunch of schools, I was able to go see and visit these awesome places, and I had an open mind. I fell in love with Ole Miss and as soon as I did, there was no reason to wait around; I’d seen everything I needed to see and Ole Miss was the best place for me.
#HottyToddy !!! pic.twitter.com/BltQuCMGIF
— Campbell Smithwick (@campbellrsoup) May 16, 2020
Determining where to continue an athletic career can be a daunting task, but Campbell had plenty of reasons to choose Ole Miss.
“Since I’ve moved here to Oxford, it has grown on me,” Campbell said. “I think there’s a million things I could point out why I love this place and why it was the best decision for me. At the time, looking at the track record of the catchers they have, I think it was the last five catchers that caught here were drafted in the first 10 rounds, three coaches being catchers, the track record Coach B has playing in the SEC and one of the prettiest campuses in the country, you just can’t go wrong.”
Before Campbell hits the field for the Rebels, he will take the field for Oxford, where he had a .432 batting average, hit five home runs, and accumulated 33 RBIs last season while helping the Chargers reach the MHSAA Class 6A North Half finals for the second time since joining Class 6A.
First pitch of first game in Mississippi. @campbellsoup_23 pic.twitter.com/jtivy4KxUX
— Austin Smithwick (@scsmithwick) February 13, 2022
Campbell is still a young and exciting talent on the baseball field. He also has been lucky to have extraordinary experiences that helped forge his career.
“Baseball is the best I could do in the world,” Smithwick said. “It’s really given me such a platform to influence so many of my now closest friends and teammates. I traveled all over the country and the world playing the game; it’s super special and you get to meet a ton of coaches and players and fans. It’s something you don’t get with any other sport. I’m just so blessed and lucky to play this game. I pray that I can play this game a long time.”
There will most certainly be plenty of challenging and special moments ahead for Campbell and his career, but he’s not letting anything overwhelm him and is taking it one day at a time.
“You can’t control anything but yourself,” Smithwick said. “Baseball is the craziest sport in the world; anything can happen at any given time, and the only thing you can control is yourself and your attitude.”
