Camden Baseball Reaches Final 8 For Third Straight Year

By Dennis Brunson

hssr.com Associate Editor

           Camden – At face value, the fact that the Camden High School baseball reached the upper state finals of the AAAA state playoffs isn’t that surprising. After all, it was the third straight year the Bulldogs won their district tournament to be one of the final eight teams playing in their classification.

           This season, however, was just a little different than the two previous ones. Camden finished fourth in Region 3 this season and was 10-15 at the end of the regular season.

           “Making it to the quarterfinals this year is very, very special,” said veteran Bulldogs head coach Denny Beckley. “It is the third year in a row for our program to win a district and make it to the final eight (along with the four teams in the lower state finals). This year's team has persevered through a very stressful season. Our record is not very impressive at 13-15, but we are playing our best at the right time.”

           Beckley made that statement prior to Camden facing region foe A.C. Flora in a best-of-3 series to determine who played for the upper state title. The Falcons swept the series, winning 6-0 and 10-2, to win all four meetings with the Bulldogs and end their season.

           Along with losing several key players to graduation from last year’s team that finished second in the region, Camden had to deal with a tragic loss just prior to the start of the 2025-26 school year.

           “We have dedicated this season to Caiden McGuff, who passed away in a car accident on July 29,” Beckley said. “Our players never wavered in their effort or belief that they could turn the season around and it has been an absolute honor to be associated with such a great group of players and coaches.”

           Camden was the No. 11 seed in the upper state and opened the District B tournament on the road against No. 6 York. The Bulldogs rolled to a 14-2 victory to advance to another road game, this one against No. 3 seed Seneca. Camden picked up a double-digit win in this one as well, winning 12-2.

           The Bulldogs moved into the championship round of the district and they got to play at home this time against York. Camden came away with a 7-4 triumph to move along.

           There is no doubt who was leading the way for Camden in the district tournament.

           “Thomas Bishop has been unbelievable to for us,” Beckley said.

           In the three district games, Bishop, a senior, was 7-for-9 with three home runs, one triple, one double, 11 runs batted in and nine runs scored. He also stole four bases, drew two walks and was hit by a pitch.

           Ini the opening game against York, Bishop was 2-for-2 with a homer, four runs, two RBI, one walk, one HBP and two stolen bases.

           Against Seneca, all Bishop did was hit two homers – one a grand slam, the other a 3-run shot – for seven RBI. He was 2-for-4, scored three times and also had a steal.

In the rematch against York, Bishop was 3-for-3 with a double, a triple, two runs, two RBI a walk and a stolen base.