BARBERTON - Scouts and coaches have high praise about Camren Vessels. The fifth-rated uncommitted junior in Ohio is hoping for the same recognition from college coaches.

“The thing our scouting staff and college scouts probably have in common is that Cam is at or near the top of our list for position players to get out to see in the spring,” explained Jordan Chiero, PBR Ohio Director of Scouting. “He leaves little left to be desired behind the dish with a well above-average skill set across the board.

“Offensively, he's a middle-of-the-order bat with an advanced combination of feel for contact/natural tools to do damage when he connects. Vessels’ summer staff raves about him, which is high praise considering he's on one of the premier teams in the state.”

Improvement has come since the sixth-ranked 2023 catcher in the state moved over to the NEO organization a year ago.

“The coaches are amazing,” the Barberton junior said in reference to Jeff Segal, Dave Boyza and Gary Ho. “We have catching practice every Wednesday and the competition is really fun. Every catcher gets better.”

Vessels, who turned 17 on Jan. 6, has been behind the plate for some time.

“I was the only one on my Little League team that could catch,” Vessels reflected. “As I’ve gotten older I’ve started to love it. There’s not a play you’re not involved in. And there’s nothing better as a catcher than throwing a guy out.”

His abilities as a catcher have been noticed, with the 5-10 190-pounder getting interest from numerous Division I schools. Vessels has attended camps at Kent State, Penn State and Miami, while Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Illinois have also shown interest.

“They’ve been talking to me and my coaches,” related Vessels, who was seen at a PBR showcase by Penn State and Western, through his profile by Miami and at tournaments by the rest. “They all say they like my defense a lot. They like that I can hit the ball to any side of the field, but the key part of my game is probably my defense.”

The desire to play beyond high school began early.

“Every kid’s dream is to make it to the big leagues,” Vessels noted. “What I want is to get to the next level, play the game I love and get an education while I’m doing it.”

It was at the NEO Scout Day a year ago that Vessels realized that playing baseball in college was a strong possibility.

“I played well and that boosted my rep a lot,” Vessels said. “The Top Prospect Games was also a great showcase. The amount of coaches there was surprising. PBR has really helped a lot.”

Additional assistance has come from coaches Ryan Rue and Adrian Abrahamowicz with T-3 and coaches Todd Hone, Brad Fogle and Jacob Palidar at Barberton.

“I’ve been sending out emails non-stop, that’s a big thing with our organization,” the 43rd-rated junior in Ohio said. “They also video our ABs and we send those out.”

The results have benefitted the contact Vessels has had with coaches at the next level.

“I like how honest the coaches are,” Vessels said in assessing the recruiting process. “They don’t sugarcoat it. The biggest con is that it takes a while. It’s not a quick process. It’s a very working process.”

One that Vessels continues to work at in hopes of finding the perfect fit.

“Hopefully with the holidays over the recruiting process will pick back up and I can get ahold of some coaches,” Vessels said. “With high school baseball starting up soon, I can send out our schedule and get as many coaches to our games as possible.

“I’d like to go out of Ohio, but the main thing is I want to go where I’m wanted,” Vessels added. “I don’t want to sit for three years. If I end up in Ohio that’s fine, wherever I’m gonna play and the coaches trust in me. The biggest thing is playing three or four years.”

A 4.3 student taking all honors classes, Vessels is confident he can benefit whatever college program he joins.

“I’m a very big leader on the teams I play on,” Vessels related. “I make sure everybody’s on task. Baseball is a game of failure, you have to keep the same mindset, get over it and move onto the next thing.

“I’m also a very hard worker,” Vessels continued. “Over the offseason I hit seven days a week and work on catching four days a week. I don’t want anyone to outwork me. I want to be known as the hardest worker on the team.”

The second-rated uncommitted 2023 catcher in Ohio is aiming at a commitment by summer.

“After high school season would be nice, but this isn’t something to rush,” Vessels explained about his recruitment. “Not being committed and seeing others committed, the money moves and they start running out of it. But I want to play wherever I go, and I’m looking for a place to do that.”