Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Cameron Embraces Legacy, Confronts Challenge
CAMERON EMBRACES LEGACY, CONFRONTS CHALLENGE
PRAIRIE GROVE — Mitch Cameron’s return as Prairie Grove head baseball coach places him in a unique position as both predecessor and successor to Chris Mileham, who coached the Tigers 2016-18.
Conscious that a double portion has been handed to him, Cameron seizes the day while welcoming the implicit expectations that the Tiger program be restored to excellence.
Sense Of Normalcy
Across the community spectrum, players, parents and district personnel are glad to have Cameron back. He is greeted everywhere he goes as residents reach out to say, “Welcome back,” and “Glad you’re back.”
“It’s awesome. It feels like home,” Cameron said.
The other day, he went to eat a burger at One Stop in downtown Prairie Grove just to reinforce the reality that he is once again head baseball coach for the Tigers.
“I don’t think I’ve eaten one since I left,” Cameron said. “Just back to being normal. The normality is back and it’s like being home.”
Cameron doesn’t miss a daily 40-minute commute (each way) in Northwest Arkansas traffic to Rogers. He now is 10 minutes away from home when practice is done or coming back from a game.
“It was one of those situations where it worked out. I left to become a better coach, coming back is real exciting,” Cameron said. “I’m glad to get back closer to home and get back in this community. I’ve really felt that welcome. I feel I made the right decision.”
In deciding to make the transition, Cameron became willing to give up some things. In his four seasons at Heritage, the War Eagles never made the state tournament, something he had grown accustomed to at Prairie Grove.
“It was tough, up at Heritage I was going to have eight or nine seniors coming back. We felt like next year was going to be the year we’d finally break through and get into the state tournament,” Cameron said. “At the end of the day, God’s brought me back.”
Inherits Own Legacy
Cameron now inherits his own legacy, having established the Tigers as a perennial contender with six trips to the State 4A baseball tournament during his first tenure at Prairie Grove from 2009-2015.
Prairie Grove fans are baseball savvy. Many of the dads coach baseball teams and moms are involved in support roles taking care of logistics such as eating and travel so kids can focus on becoming better baseball players. Cameron acknowledges many parents are knowledgeable about the game.
“That’s what’s made this area so awesome is they’ve all played baseball. Those parents have been so influential in doing this and playing travel ball and building that culture. So, it’s made it easier for me that when I get them, they have that baseball IQ, they have that knowledge already to progress and move on and gain their skills as opposed to learning the basics. That’s really helped.”
Cameron helped shape destinies. Three of his former pitchers: Jalen Beeks (Class of 2011), Ty Tice (Class of 2014) and Logan Gragg (Class of 2016) have been drafted by Major League Baseball clubs and Cameron thinks Gavin Heltemes (Class of 2016), who played at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kan., earning second-team All-Jayhawk Conference honors and becoming the strike-out record holder at Coffeyville, might be a prospect next year after a second season at the University of Central Arkansas.
“That just shows a lot about this community that they support baseball,” Cameron said. “They were like that when I got here in 2007. They were just striving and wanting baseball and I walked into a situation that was almost like a perfect storm. You know, I live and breathe baseball and these kids have lived and breathed it their whole lives.”
Project Restoration
The flip side of a doublesided coin means restructuring a program devastated by events of 2019. Mileham’s unexpected departure from the program days before the season-opener in February threw the team into a tizzy.
A talented team ranked No. 19 in a preseason poll never found a groove, finishing 11-18 overall and 1-7 in conference play under interim head coach Jed Davis. The Tigers, ranked ninth in a nine-team league made tougher by the additions of Farmington and Harrison dropping from 5A, were forced to play their way into the District 4A-1 tournament on the road at No. 8 Gentry. Prairie Grove won that game, but in a restructured district tournament format had to take on No. 1 Shiloh Christian on the Saints’ home field and was eliminated.
Responsibility now falls on Cameron’s shoulders to make up for those shortcomings, something he doesn’t shy away from.
“It’s an opportunity to come back for another challenge, new impacts with other people,” Cameron said. “I don’t know this group of boys and to be able to come back here and have the opportunity to do some other things with the school, all those chances is also a draw, too. And just to get back, and to get back to the community, what they think of me and see if I can’t have another challenge.”
For now, Cameron diligently goes about the business rejoicing in each moment teaching the game while enhancing skills. Quite simply, he prefers the diamond even if the 2020 Prairie Grove baseball team is a little rough around the edges.