West Michigan native was drafted in the 19th round by the Cleveland Guardians

BYRON CENTER, MI – A long and rocky road has finally led Cam Schuelke to the fringe of professional baseball.

The Cleveland Guardians selected the 2020 Byron Center High School graduate in the 19th round, 565th overall, in Tuesday’s Major League Baseball Draft, paving the way for the right-handed pitcher to join his sixth ballclub in six years.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound reliever with a variety of arm angles is coming off a strong season at Mississippi State, where his unconventional pitching helped him go 5-3 with two saves and post a 4.21 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 47 innings. His 32 plate appearances ranked him fourth in the Southeastern Conference, and he held opposing batters to a .243 average for the 40-23 Bulldogs.

In his final outing of the year, Schuelke threw a season-best 4 2/3 innings, recording five strikeouts and allowing five hits and one earned run in a 13-5 victory over St. John’s in the regional round of the NCAA tournament.

Schuelke was a star two-way player who threw two no-hitters as a junior at Byron Center and boasted a 0.70 ERA. His final season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, but he continued his baseball career as a walk-on at Florida Gulf Coast University.

However, he was not a great fit at the school in Fort Myers and after playing a redshirt game in his freshman season with the Eagles, Schuelke transferred to Division II University Northwood to pursue a chance as a two-way player.

In his only season with the Timberwolves, he went 4-4 with three saves, a 4.98 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 59 2/3 innings before moving to the JUCO level at the College of Central Florida.

Schuelke helped the Patriots win the 2023 NJCAA Division I national championship by posting a 9-1 record with eight saves during the College of Central Florida’s 56-7 season. He posted a 2.09 ERA and struck out 86 batters in 60 1/3 innings, including two strikeouts in one inning in relief during the Patriots’ 13-6 win in the national championship game against Wabash Valley College.

The right-handed reliever parlayed that success into a scholarship offer at Mississippi State University, and his ability to outperform tough opposition is a big reason Schuelke was called up on the third day of the MLB Draft.