Wilson commits to AIC
St. Raphael infielder excited to play at Division II school
PAWTUCKET – Cam Wilson apparently made up his mind a long time ago because he likes being wanted.
Seriously, who doesn’t?
That’s why the 17-year-old St. Raphael Academy senior issued his verbal commitment to attend American International College in Springfield, Mass. a year from now.
He committed on Thursday, Aug. 1 after baseball coach Nick Callini offered him a partial scholarship to play for the Yellow Jackets; he will make it official when he signs his National Letter of Intent in November.
“Their head coach, Mr. Callini, showed me a lot of love from Day One; before your junior year (of high school), college coaches can only contact you by e-mail to invite you to prospect camps at their school due to NCAA rules,” he stated.
“There were a bunch of schools that did, but he called me last December when he was allowed to, and said he had seen me play last summer for Northeast Baseball of Hudson (Mass., one of the top travel squads in New England).
“He told me liked the way I hit, the way I could hit for power,” he added. “It was probably the week before Christmas, so it was a great gift … What I liked the most was he just paid a lot of attention to me, said I could probably play right away (as a freshman).”
Wilson – the son of former Tolman High All-State football, track and baseball star Joey and wife Kelley – had been courted by numerous other schools, among them Rhode Island College; Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla.; Assumption College; the Universities of Rhode Island, Hartford, North Carolina-Asheville and Massachusetts-Amherst; Johnson & Wales, Bryant, Davidson, Salve Regina and Central Connecticut State universities; Florida Gulf Coast; Southern New Hampshire; and Dominican College.
Following his sophomore year, Wilson spent the summer playing third base or left field for Northeast, a talented college showcase team, and batted .310. That apparently caught Callini’s eye.
“When he called me last December, he asked me to come up to AIC and do a workout with the team, meet the guys and see the campus,” Wilson said. “My mom and dad took me up this past January, and as soon as we drove up, I noticed right away it looked like Providence – the main streets, the restaurants, the businesses, etc.
“The school buildings all seemed like new, that told me they took really good care of them,” he added. “I also liked the fact the campus was so spacious and open. Mr. Callini gave me the tour, and he asked me what I might major in, and I told him business. He took us through the sports facilities, and they had a beautiful turf football field, which the baseball team can use in the winter (if the weather dictates such).
“The baseball field, it was really nice; he told me they were looking to enlarge the bleacher sections for more seating. I met some of the athletes, and they all seemed like one big family. They told me AIC is very sports-based, and I liked that.
“Coach also kept saying how much he wanted me, and how much of an impact I could make on the program from the start. That was important to me. He told me if I went to the school, worked hard, did what I had to do and got good grades, I could potentially start as a freshman.
This past spring while playing shortstop for the Saints, Wilson compiled some rather impressive statistics – a batting average of .362, on-base percentage of .500, 13 RBI, 16 runs and 13 walks. He also served as coach Tom Sorrentine’s closer and managed two saves. In 4.1 innings, he yielded one hit and two walks, while striking out seven.
At short, he made only four errors all season for a team that earned the Division II regular-season title.
As for this summer, Wilson also played American Legion ball for Collette/Riverside Post 10 and batted .320 with a .462 on-base percentage and .400 slugging percentage. His OPS happened to be a healthy .862.
“Coach actually came to our (SRA) playoff game against Prout, but we lost, 2-0,” Wilson said. “Still, I made some good plays. He said he thought I only played third and left, but I told him I played short, too; that’s when he said, ‘I didn’t know you could cover that much ground! Not only can you hit, you’ve got a great arm, too.’
“When he called me ‘very athletic,’ of course, that I liked as well.”
About 72 hours after his visit in January, Callini called Wilson back in Pawtucket and offered him a scholarship, which later grew a bit, and that sold the 6-1, 185-pound Saint.
“This is his chance, and I’m glad and excited for him,” Joey stated in the family kitchen on Sunday. “He’s going to play in college, and that’s never a guarantee, the chance you’ll be a collegiate athlete at any level, so I’m happy he’s getting this opportunity.
“Now he needs to make the best of it, most importantly in the classroom, but then on the field and in workouts.”
Ironically, Wilson will face some familiar schools while representing AIC, as it competes in the Northeast-10 Conference. One will be St. Anselm’s College in Manchester, N.H. His older sister, Leiandra, played two years of varsity softball there before graduating this past May.
The youngest Wilson admitted having committed to college is a “huge stress reliever.
“The decision’s already made, so I’m a couple of steps ahead of everyone else,” he grinned. “Now I just have to worry about keeping my grades up and getting it done on the field.”