HILLIARD - Cam Gilkerson first talked with Wright State a couple of years ago but in the words of the Hilliard Darby sophomore, “nothing happened.”

That was not the case following the Future Games in August.

“After the Future Games they wanted to talk to me some more,” Gilkerson noted. “They offered me a couple days after that.”

Ironically, Gilkerson was far from his best at the PBR event.

“My performance was not the greatest,” admitted the fifth-ranked 2023 outfielder in the state. “They said they thought I could do better, but my BP rounds stood out. I struggled in the games but they know BP translates to games.”

Wright State coaches pointed to two areas that the 6-3 215-pound left-hander can bring to the program.

“The hit tool,” Gilkerson said in reference to what the coaches at the Horizon League school are impressed with in his game. “They also like that I can play first base and corner outfield.”

That versatility, along with his left-handed stick, helped bring offers from the likes of Ohio State and Miami of Ohio. But in the end, Wright State won out in the quest for a commitment from the 14th-rated sophomore in Ohio.

“I committed two months after the offer,” Gilkerson noted. “I wanted to see all the options that were out there, but I knew I liked the coaches. I ended up going on a visit to the campus and liked it a lot. It wasn’t a huge campus and I don’t really like big campuses. What really stood out was Wright State baseball is the biggest thing on campus. They don’t have football.

“I also liked the way they practice,” Gilkerson continued. “It’s a lot like my summer team.”

There was another major reason the Hilliard Darby sophomore decided on Wright State.

“My end goal is to play pro baseball and they’ve had 20 guys go pro in the last five years,” Gilkerson pointed out. “They’re in the top15 for wins in the last five years and they play really good teams. They swept Tennessee in three games last year. Going there you get to play in regional championship games every year.”

The dream to move on to the next level is something that Gilkerson has thought about for a long time.

“It’s been on my mind forever to play college sports,” Gilkerson explained. “Every kid wants to play two sports in college and I was no different. Then in seventh or eighth grade I realized I have something if I pursued college baseball and kept working and playing the best competition.”

Improvement this year helped the cause.

“I played summer ball with a new team, the Cincinnati Spikes,” Gilkerson related. “It’s a good organization. Coach (Phil) Arrington has been in the game awhile and his son (Ryan Arrington) is the head coach. They play really good competition.

“I got a lot better defensively,” Gilkerson added. “That wasn’t a big part of my game before this year, but now I’m tracking balls down in the outfield and making diving catches. I’ve improved there a lot.”

That benefited his outlook with colleges.

“This summer I’m like … wow, I can do something with this,” Gilkerson noted. “It really hit me. Our team was ranked in the country and I was playing with so many top-rated players. I’m thinking, I can really do this.”

Still, Gilkerson understands the necessity to continue getting better.

“One of the biggest things for me, if I want to play outfield I need to get my speed up,” Gilkerson admitted. “I also need to be a more situational hitter. I’ve got to look for the pitch I like.”

Sport management or business are likely majors for Gilkerson, a 3.6 student ready to take his game to the next level.

“I’ll bring a sense of physicality,” Gilkerson said about what he can provide Wright State. “I can get extra base hits and play the field really well.”

Gilkerson pointed to his summer and high school coaches as being a big part of “helping me with what I need to do with the recruiting process.”

Admittedly, recruitment was unlike what he expected. 

“It was definitely a lot different, especially with covid and coaches not being able to see me play,” Gilkerson noted. “They could only see my at-bats on film.”

It was enough to receive an offer from a school just one hour from his home in Hilliard.

“Committing was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had,” Gilkerson concluded. “It’s a relief to be able to go play baseball now and not have to worry about anything else. I like the Wright State coaches and I know what I have coming for me.”