(A gallery of photos follows the story below. Photos are courtesy of Victor Nardone.)

Camp Community College’s 2025 baseball team did not reach the high levels of success its 2024 and 2023 counterparts did, but there were still significant highlights to be found — on the roster.

In both 2023 and 2024, the Hurricanes won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Region 10 Tournament and the NJCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic District Championship series, advancing to the NJCAA Division III World Series. 

In 2023, Camp went 0-2 at the World Series, a double-elimination event, and in 2024, Camp went 1-2, earning its first win at the World Series level.

The Hurricanes finished the 2025 campaign with an overall record of 25-19-1, going 1-2 in the NJCAA Division III Region 10 tourney.

ASSESSMENT OF THE SEASON

Camp Head Coach Daniel Rollins described the ’25 season as “a challenge.”

“I obviously think that we all came in, whether it was new players, returners and coaches, we had kind of set an expectation the last couple years that the region was going to come through Franklin, Virginia, and if you wanted it, you were going to have to come take it from us,” he said. “And we never seemed to play quite our best baseball. We would play really well in small spurts, or we would do some things well. We would hit one day, but we couldn’t get anybody out on the mound, or we would pitch the heck out of it, and we couldn’t score the guy any runs, or defense would get in the way at some times.

“I thought we had good kids, and they certainly wanted to win just like you would expect anybody would,” he added. “But it just didn’t come together the way we expected.”

He did list an excuse for his players that he thought was appropriate to name.

Due to health difficulties, he had to take a medical leave of absence a little more than halfway through the season.

“I think my situation affected everything,” he said. “I think that was hard on the kids.”

His absence coupled with the increased pressure on the players to perform given the team’s success the past two years contributed notably to the year’s challenges.

Rollins said he has still been doing work behind the scenes with Associate Head Coach Myles Comeau.

“He’s done a great job, and I’m very thankful for him and our pitching coach, Zach Kirschner, as well,” Rollins said. 

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SEASON

Rollins did not find it a challenge to identify some 2025 highlights for the Hurricanes.

“While there may not be as many team-oriented things that happened that I could speak of and been more proud of, I think some of the individual things that took place and some growth within some guys really mattered,” he said.

He first put a spotlight on sophomore middle infielder Josh Holland, who mainly played shortstop.

“We were his third stop,” Rollins said. “He had been at two other (junior colleges), and we were the first one to really give him a chance to play every day, and the kid flourished. He played his rear end off, and he’s getting a scholarship to continue his career.”

Across 43 games, Holland batted .295, with 41 hits, 34 runs scored and 25 RBIs.

Next, Rollins commented on redshirt freshman catcher Elijah Jordan.

“We had probably one of the top two catchers I’ve ever had in this program,” Rollins said of Jordan. “He was a transfer, he had really struggled where he was coming from, and he just signed a scholarship to go play at Coker University.”

Rollins noted that Coker is a strong Division II program in South Carolina.

Jordan played 41 games this year and led the Hurricanes with a batting average of .395, recording a team-high 58 hits and 38 RBIs. He had 37 runs scored.

Next, Rollins spotlighted a sophomore outfielder.

“We had a kid, Braden Piersol, who played for us last year, and I’ll be honest, for 50-some games, he carried a clipboard around,” Rollins said. “He kept charts. He didn’t complain about not playing, just did whatever he could to feel like he was a part of it and to help us win.

“And I remember in our exit meeting, he asked me, he said, ‘Coach, I don’t want you to hold back. I want you to tell me exactly what I have to do to play.’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know if you really want to hear this or not.’”

Rollins told Piersol he was going to start by telling him, “I love you, you know that? You’re one of my favorite guys.” Then the coach told him what he had to do to play — get in better shape, bulk up some, strengthen his arm, improve his bat speed, etc.

“He wanted to know, so I gave him a litany of things and said, ‘These are the things that have to happen for you to have a shot,’” Rollins said. “We finished up our conversation, he got up to shake my hand, and he said, ‘Coach, I’ll be in the lineup next year. You wait.’ I said, ‘OK. I hope you’re right.’”

The coach noted that in early fall, Piersol was swinging the bat really well against Division I pitching from four different programs.

“And then this (spring) season, there was a huge joke — all he did was hit,” Rollins said. “All the kid did was hit, and he ended up being first team all-region. He was an OK outfielder, didn’t run extremely well, but he made plays that he just instinctively got good jumps on. Man, I couldn’t be prouder of that young man.”

Across 42 games, Piersol recorded a batting average of .362, with 47 hits, 39 runs scored, 30 RBIs and 19 stolen bases.

The Camp Hurricanes featured a few local players on their roster this year, including, but not limited to, sophomore right-handed pitcher Brandon Saunders, of Sedley, who attended Windsor High School.

“He really stepped up this year and developed more,” Rollins said. “He pitched some very significant innings for us.”

The coach also praised sophomore outfielder Brady Flythe, of Franklin, who attended Southampton High School.

“Brady Flythe is one of the most selfless teammates and humans I think on this earth,” Rollins said. “While his overall playing time probably didn’t work out the way any of us wanted, he always led by example. He always wanted to know what he could do each day to help the program win. Those types of kids are hard to find. He reminds me of me in some of the situations I found myself in college. It’s not easy, but I couldn’t have any more respect for him than I do!”

As summer approaches, Rollins is focusing on his own health and trying to do everything he can to be ready to return to work in the office on Aug. 1. And his goal for next season is clear.

“I think it’s just getting back to kind of the roots of how we built this program up and doing everything we can to get back to where we’ve been the last few years,” he said.