Luke Mullin: The secret's out. Vandy baseball commit Cam Kozeal as good as they come in Nebraska (2024)

Even when Cam Kozeal was a freshman going through the first practices of his high school baseball career, it didn’t take long for Millard South coach Greg Geary to recognize he had the potential to be special.

The lack of a 2020 spring season due to COVID-19 kept that revelation under wraps for a while, but Kozeal’s talents are hardly a secret anymore. Seven months after playing his first varsity baseball game, Kozeal announced his commitment to college baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt.

“It’s definitely been a crazy year,” Kozeal said.

The state has seen an increase in baseball talent over the past decade, and naturally, many of the state’s top players have ended up with Nebraska. But, the real movers and shakers of the college baseball world?

Norris’ Austin Schultz went to Kentucky, a program that has made seven NCAA Tournaments, Lincoln Southwest’s Logan Foster signed with Texas A&M, and Millard West’s Cole Stobbe was set to attend Arkansas before signing a professional contract. Norris sophom*ore Kale Fountain, who committed to Florida State as a 14-year-old, is also under consideration for Nebraska’s top baseball recruit ever.

Kozeal’s achievement still stands out above them all.

The Vanderbilt baseball program has played for a national title each of the past two seasons, winning one, and has made the NCAA Tournament each of the past 15 seasons. While not quite as dominant, this is like Ohio State football or Duke basketball coming into Nebraska for their talent. Considering that college baseball coaches only have 11.7 scholarships available to divide among their roster, it’s also a testament to Kozeal’s skills that Vanderbilt offered him a full scholarship.

“You always think there’s someone better out there, but when a lot of (schools) are saying you’re the guy, it hits you a little different,” Kozeal said. “Part of my decision was that no one from Nebraska gets this opportunity, and I felt like I owe it to myself to take a chance on myself and go somewhere great.”

The Commodores recruit nationally, and Geary points out that at a certain level, it comes down to personality and fit with the team more than on-field ability.

Safe to say Kozeal passes that test with flying colors.

“The thing that really sets him apart is his drive,” Geary said. “I’ll come in here and he’ll be in the gym at 6 in the morning by himself doing his wall-ball drills. He’s a hunter and a fisher, just a genuine, down-to-earth, blue-collar kid; we’re absolutely thrilled that he plays for us.”

Indeed, some of Kozeal’s greatest skills on the baseball diamond — a smooth, perfectly executed swing and great defensive range at shortstop — have required hours and hours of hard work to achieve. When the indoor gyms are full, Kozeal simply takes his craft outside during the early morning hours, often practicing on a pitch-black football field or in cold weather.

No matter the conditions, nothing gets in the way of Kozeal’s 6:30 a.m. workout.

“I have to do it every morning because it’s what gets me going for my day; if I don’t do it, then I just don’t feel right,” Kozeal said. “A lot of guys want to go play showcase baseball, but what you really need to be doing is putting in the work to get better.”

But, is Kozeal the best ever to come through the state’s high school baseball ranks?

Geary makes a strong point that Kozeal’s summer circuit gave him an opportunity few other Nebraskans have had. Kozeal spent part of his summer playing for the Iowa-Minnesota-Nebraska team at the Prep Baseball Report Future Games, a national prospect showcase that draws more than 300 college coaches and scouts annually.

Kozeal’s play on the baseball diamond spoke for itself, and after being named the Most Valuable Player at the showcase, the college offers began to roll in. Oregon and Coastal Carolina were among the teams that visited Kozeal during the summer American Legion season, and Kozeal considered his offers from Arkansas, Oregon State, North Carolina and Notre Dame before coming to his final decision.

“(His recruitment) really blew up that week when he played in front of all the scouts and had a great weekend,” Geary said. “I feel like there’s been kids who have come through the state of Nebraska that had they been put in that situation, who knows what would have happened.”

A first-team Super-State selection last season, Kozeal hit .376 with five home runs and 34 RBIs as he led Millard South to a state championship. He’s also been a key contributor on the Patriots’ undefeated football team, including a two-game run replacing the injured Gage Stenger as the team’s starting quarterback.

Kozeal doesn’t have any social media accounts, instead preferring to focus on other hobbies and avoid distractions from his athletic goals. That type of mental fortitude doesn’t come along often at the high school level, and it’s why Kozeal might just be the best college baseball prospect to ever come through Nebraska.

“From day one since he came here, there’s just something a little different about him,” Geary said. “With his work ethic, his drive and his leadership abilities; I’ve been here 23 years and he’s one of the top kids we’ve ever had.”