Lynn native Cam O’Neill has dazzled on the diamond at every level in which he’s played.
For three years, O’Neill starred for the St. Mary’s baseball team. From there he put together a strong senior campaign at Buckingham Browne and Nichols, and has since emerged as a key bat for the Holy Cross Crusaders.
This summer, O’Neill has continued to work on his craft with the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League. This marks O’Neill’s first season playing in the CCBL.
“It’s been a really cool experience so far,” O’Neill said. “Being a local guy, I’m the only guy from Massachusetts on the team. It’s been a really cool experience playing so far. Just hearing about the guys (who) have played in the league, like Buster Posey. It’s just a really cool experience playing in it.”
O’Neill was linked to Falmouth by his head coach at Holy Cross, Greg DiCenzo. Falmouth originally signed O’Neill to a temporary contract when he first joined the team. After a strong performance, the team signed him to a full contract for the summer.
“Coach DiCenzo used to be an assistant coach at Falmouth,” O’Neill, who is entering his senior year, said. “The general progression for our players who do well is they have the opportunity to come to Falmouth for their junior into senior summer. I’ve played in the FCBL and NCBL. Coach DiCenzo got me a temp contract and I played well. They offered me a full summer contract and that’s where we are now.”
Throughout the season, O’Neill has seen action at multiple positions in both the infield and outfield. Now that the season is in full swing, O’Neill has seen most of his playing time at first base.
At the plate, O’Neill has posted a .250 batting average for the summer with four home runs. His goal coming into the season was to work on maintaining a consistent bat.
“I’m really happy with how it’s going for me this summer,” O’Neill said. “I’m trying to work on my consistency. That’s something I was really lacking at Holy Cross. I knew I had to work on my consistency but it’s working out for me. It’s going well.”
O’Neill’s strong performance at the plate has helped Falmouth put together a strong season. The Commodores are 24-19-1, good for first place in the CCBL’s West Division. They have also won seven of their last 10 games.
The team earned the top seed in the West when playoffs began today.
“The playoffs are approaching pretty quickly,” O’Neill said. “We’ve been playing pretty well. We scored 12 runs on Wareham on Tuesday and that’s a good sign. Hopefully we can continue that into the playoffs.”
Throughout the summer, O’Neill has noticed the high level of talent throughout the CCBL. The league has produced a number of MLB stars and continues to do so.
“All these guys come from all over the country to play in the Cape Cod League,” O’Neill said.
“There are leagues closer to where these players live and go to school but they’re all coming to Cape Cod and that’s when you know it’s pretty legit. Everyone’s been great. They’re all really talented and it’s great to learn from them.”
O’Neill has appreciated the opportunity to get live reps throughout the summer. His ability to stay sharp throughout the offseasons has opened the door for him to come into the spring seasons at Holy Cross feeling confident.
“Baseball’s a game where you can’t take off three, four months and expect to get back into the swing of things when you get back,” O’Neill said. “For me, seeing these arms from pitchers at a high level, that’s great for my personal development. Everyone’s throwing 92-94 and everyone’s got great offspeed stuff.”
O’Neill added, “It’s great for my development and my confidence, knowing I can take the confidence I developed here and bring that to Holy Cross to try and win us another Patriot League Championship. Hopefully that confidence carries through to next year.”
Another unique aspect of the CCBL experience for O’Neill has been the host family he’s been housing with. Most of the players in the CCBL are housed by host families who live on the Cape.
“It takes the experience to a whole another level, to have a great host family,” O’Neill said. “It’s been a pleasure living with them. We’ve developed a nice relationship this summer, so that’s been great. Without the host families we wouldn’t have anywhere to stay.”
O’Neill has also received support from his own family, who has made the trip to Cape Cod on a handful of occasion to watch him play.
“My family’s been down a good amount,” O’Neill said. “I used to vacation here on weekends when I was younger. For them to come down for a little vacation and watch me play in the Cape League, that’s been really special.”
“My parents and family have made the trip down plenty of times,” O’Neill added. “It’s been a really special summer.”
