Weston earns MVP honors
Cameron Weston has a bright future ahead of him.
Sure, he’s just a sophomore. But being Almanac baseball MVP sometimes is the first step to the majors.
Take Jordan Jankowski and Ian Happ for example.
A multiple MVP from Peters Township, Jankowski pitches for the Houston Astros. He had been called up to the majors for the first time on May 22. The Almanac’s MVP in 2012, Happ of Mt. Lebanon also made his debut this May with the Cubs. Already he has socked 10 home runs.
Other MVPs have been drafted & played in the big leagues. Still some like Jared Skolnicki, Taylor Lehman and Austin Kitchen are having outstanding collegiate careers. Kitchen already has a college World Series ring, having played on Coastal Carolina’s 2016 NCAA Division I championship club.
And Weston, who is already committed to the University of Michigan, certainly had a big-league season in 2017. This spring, he helped lead Canon-McMillan to an undefeated section title and to the Final Four in the WPIAL 6-A tournament. The Big Macs finished 12-0 in Section 3 and 14-6 overall.
On the mound, Weston, whose fastball has been clocked in the low 90s, compiled a 5-0 pitching record with a 55 strikeouts and a 1.25 ERA. At the plate, he batted .375 with two home runs and 17 RBI.
Weston represented a part of the Big Macs’ triple threat along with fellow pitcher Zach Rohaley (7-0 with 0.75 ERA) and first baseman Ian Hess (.509 batting average with 27 RBI). That made it difficult for C-M manager Tim Bruzdewicz to select his top player.
“We were driven by a three-headed monster,” he said. “That being said, I think it should be a shared award. They all deserved MVP.”
Given the choice, opposing managers also had a tough time picking only one player as MVP.
“Rohaley seemed to have more of an impact on us when we played them,” said Peters Township manager Joe Maize, “but Cameron has all the tools. Plus, he’s already made a verbal to Michigan. They wouldn’t be interested in him unless he was that good,” Maize stressed.
Weston victimized Upper St. Clair twice. Hence, Jerry Malarkey got a good look at the future prospect.
“Both he and (Rohaley) are quality players but Camerson seemed to do a nice job against us. C-M ran the table in this section, which surprised me a little, but they don’t do that without Cameron. He’s a good pitcher, a strong hitter and he can drive the ball. To me, he seemed more polished than the other players and more dominant.”
During the summer, Weston dominates the travel ball circuit in the mid-west. He plays for the Michigan Blue Jays, which has produced major leagues such as Eric Haase of the Cleveland Indians and Matt Wisler from the Atlanta Braves. Most recently, Anthony Kidston and Travis Maezes, a Michigan alum, have signed with the Kansas City Royals.
If Weston continues his pace and improvement, then he just may be the next. For now, however, he’ll be contend with being named Almanac MVP for the 2017 baseball season.
NOTE: The Almanac Diamond Dozen All-Stars were selected with the help of area managers. Their survey, statistics and games seen by the sports staff were all taken into consideration in compiling the all-star squad.