Final inning. Two outs. One pitch away. The pitcher peers in, takes the sign and comes set. He slowly starts his delivery, reaches his balance point and strides powerfully toward the plate as he releases the ball from his steadfast grip. The sound of the ball hitting the mitt is amplified tenfold by the silence that had previously owned the ballpark: “POW.”

As if a gunshot was fired, men begin to charge. Out on to the battlefield they go, only this time, in celebration. As the pitcher throws his glove into the air, he’s immediately mobbed — all while living a championship dream.

That was the scene last summer as the Orleans Cardinals, along with the Wolfpack’s Matt Camp, defeated the Bourne Braves to become the Cape Cod Baseball League Champions.

“We won the final game 13-1,” Camp said. “A lot of people would think, ‘Well it’s just a summer league, big deal,’ but after that last pitch was thrown, we all piled up on the mound.”

In a game that was essentially over after a five-run first inning, it can be hard to understand why such a lopsided victory could prompt a wild celebration. That is, unless one knows N.C. State’s senior centerfielder.

The final game of the series was being played just as the fall semester was beginning, which meant Camp could have bypassed the extra stint away from home and returned for a few days of relaxation.

But he never even considered it.

“He wasn’t even thinking about coming back to school,” coach Elliott Avent said. “He probably would have liked a couple days off to go home and relax a little bit, but the most important thing on his mind was winning that championship.”

During that championship game, Camp played right field instead of his native center. For some, the switch might have proved difficult, but for a person who has been moving his entire career, it was just another step along the way.

When Camp first arrived at NCSU, he wasn’t a centerfielder. He wasn’t even an outfielder. During his prep career, he served entirely as an infielder.

“Well, when I got here I was playing shortstop, but we had a senior named Chad Orvella who was a real good defensive shortstop,” Camp said. “Coach asked me a couple of days before the games started if I wanted to play left field, and I said sure; I just wanted to play.”

Avent, although not immediately sure he had made the right decision, found out quickly Camp was more than equipped to play in the outfield.

“We really didn’t have a left fielder that year, so I gave him a chance to make the starting lineup, and he did,” Avent said.

Although Camp originally broke into the line-up as a left fielder, he didn’t play there exclusively. His ability to play any position on the diamond soon translated into even more playing time.

“I played about 90 percent of the games there [in left field], two or three in center, a couple in right and played a little at shortstop to give Chad a break,” Camp said.

During the regionals his freshman year, an injury forced Camp to move into a position he was slightly less familiar with.

“Jeremy Dutton, our third baseman, went down with a broken finger, so they moved me to third for the regionals and super regionals,” Camp said.

After managing third base for the remainder of the season, Camp looked forward to finally playing shortstop for the Pack during the 2004 campaign. That is, until Jonathon Diaz arrived.

As Diaz proved he could handle the shortstop responsibilities, Camp moved once more to fill a void that had appeared at the second base spot. Although somewhat disappointed to have been moved yet again, Camp was more than happy to give up his old spot to a sure-handed Diaz.

“Diaz is a terrific shortstop,” Camp said. “He’s got some of the best hands I’ve ever seen, so I’m comfortable with him being there just as much as I am with myself.”

Diaz and Camp’s opinions of each other are parallel.

“He’s invaluable,” Diaz said. “He can play anywhere and probably plays it better than most of the guys out here.”

Camp and Diaz comprised State’s double-play combination until last year, when troubles in centerfield eventually called for Camp to sacrifice his infield talent yet again. “Last year, I was at second base until I moved to center and pretty much made that my permanent home here at State,” Camp said.

Camp’s teammates said his presence in the outfield’s gut is a constant, reassuring force. “He brings security,” senior outfielder Brian Aragon said. “You know he’s going to make that play, and you know he’s got your back.”

With any position issues seemingly answered, there is only one goal on Camp’s mind as he enters the 2006 season, and as it happens, it’s team-oriented.

“I talked about it since I was 13 — I just want to go to Omaha [for the College World Series,]” Camp said. “I want to go to play and not watch. If I hit .200 this year and we get there, I’ll be as happy as can be.”

After making it to the super regional his freshman year, his determination to return has been driving him. His teammates believe his experience is an added advantage.

“He’s been further than any of us,” Aragon said. “He’s been to the super regionals, and he’s been to a regional every year.”

With experience comes leadership, and Avent believes Camp, although his is only one of many leaders on the team, is one of the most important due, in part, to his leadership style.

“Everybody leads in different ways,” Avent said. “Matt Camp’s example of leading is that he just plays the game extremely hard, and he plays to win.”