Egg Harbor Township High School graduate Cameron Flukey realized a dream on Saturday.
The Detroit Tigers selected the hard-throwing, right-handed pitcher from Coastal Carolina University in the first round of the Major League Draft, taking him with the 22nd overall pick.
“It was a surreal feeling, for sure,” Flukey said during a Zoom call with media.
He was one of five players from Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland Counties to be drafted over the weekend, joining St. Augustine Prep shortstop/pitcher Alex Weingartner (Chicago White Sox, sixth round), St. Augustine/St. Joseph’s University pitcher Andrew Gaines (Milwaukee Brewers, 10th round), Cedar Creek High School/ St. Joseph’s pitcher Christian Coppola (Phillies, 12th round) and Ocean City High School/St. Joseph’s pitcher Duke McCarron (Miami Marlins, 17th round).
Flukey, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound right-hander, became the fourth local athlete to be drafted in the first round, joining football player William Green from Holy Spirit High School and baseball players Mike Trout (Millville High School) and Chase Petty (Mainland Regional High School).
Green, a running back from Boston College, was taken 16th overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2002 NFL Draft. Trout, the three-time American League Most Valuable Player, was selected by the Los Angeles Angels with the 25th overall pick in 2009. Petty, a pitcher, was taken 26th overall by the Minnesota Twins in 2021 before being traded to the Cincinnati Reds.
Flukey’s slot value as the No. 22 pick is $4.08 million.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to be a part of the Detroit Tigers organization,” Flukey told NJ.com. “I can’t wait to get started on the mound and begin this next chapter of my journey.”
Flukey barely got out of his driveway at the start of the journey. He was a 5-foot-8 freshman at EHT throwing 75 miles an hour. He barely made the Eagles’ freshman team and contemplated giving up the sport.
His father, Vincent, encouraged him to stay with it. He sought out Mike Adams, co-owner of the Baseball Performance Center in Egg Harbor Township and former minor-league pitcher.
“It’s just awesome to see the way he’s developed,” Adams told NBC10.com.
Flukey grew to 6-foot-4 by his sophomore season and continued to improve. As a senior at EHT, he recorded 83 Strikeouts in 46.2 innings with a 0.45 earned run average and ended his high school career with a complete-game shutout with 10 strikeouts in a state playoff game against Toms River North.
As a junior at Coastal Carolina in 2025, he went 7-2 with 118 striketouts in 101.2 innings in helping the Chantacleers each the College World Series. A stress fracture in his rib limited him to 24 innings this season.
“Cam’s journey shows that dreams are attainable,” EHT coach Bryan Carmichael told NJ.com. “He worked relentlessly, stayed true to himself, and has represented Egg Harbor Township with tremendous class.”
Weingartner was the first local high school player drafted since Petty. He was taken by the White Sox with the first pick of the sixth round, No. 166 overall. The 6-2, 200-pounder batted .495 with seven home runs, 36 RBI, 33 stolen bases and 46 runs scored. As a pitcher, he notched 81 strikeouts in 48.1 innings with a 0.87 ERA.
He was New Jersey’s Gatorade Player of the Year.
His slot value is $413,900. He also has a full scholarship to Penn State.
“There are not a lot of words to describe hearing your name called,” Weingartner told NJ.com. “The feeling of getting picked is something I’ll never forget. I’m just super excited for the opportunity.”
Atlantic City, Ocean City beach patrols earn wins
The Atlantic City and Ocean City beach patrols posted impressive victories in the opening events of the local lifeguard racing season last week.
Atlantic City earned two wins, taking first place in both the Michael D. McGrath Longport Memorials and Longport Women’s Invitational race.
Ocean City rallied to win the Cape May County Lifeguard Championships for the first time since 2018.
Championships on Friday, July 10, 2026
Swimmer Ady Elko and the surf dash relay team of Emma Crozier, Grace Marczyk, Tess Roman and Madison Listinsin took top honors for Atlantic City in the Longport Women’s Invitational.
Ocean City was in third place after six events in the Cape May County races in Wildwood Crest before sweeping the women’s and men’s surf dash relays to claim the team title for the 19th time since the competition began in 1984.
Abby Hays, Chloe Care, Grace Cullen and Claudia Booth won the women’s surf dash, then Matt Bell, Wyatt Clayton, Andrew Shaw and Jack Behm clinched the title in the men’s race.
Rhylee Cornell won the women’s box swim for Ocean City.
The action resumed this week with three more events.
The Chief Bill Kuhn Lifeguard Invitational in Brigantine and the Buzz Mogck Memorial Cape May SuperAthalon were scheduled for Monday.
Tuesday featured the Ocean City Women’s Championships, followed by the Beschen-Callahan Memorial Races in North Wildwood on Friday.
Local golf courses honored
Six local public courses were voted among the top 20 layouts in New Jersey in a consensus from rankings by Golf Digest, Golf Week and Golf.com.
Twisted Dune Golf Club in Egg Harbor Towship earned the highest ranking, placing second in the state behind Ballyowen Golf Club in Hamburg in Sussex County.
Shoregate Golf Club in Ocean View (No. 4), the Bay Course at Seaview in Galloway Township (No. 5) and Ballamor in Egg Harbor Township (No. 8) also landed in the top 10.
Cape May National Golf Club in Lower Township and Blue Heron Pines Golf Club in Egg Harbor City placed 17th and 19th, respectively.
Harbor Pines Golf Club and McCullough’s Emerald Links, both in Egg Harbor Township, earned honorable mentions.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points. Send comments to weinbergd419@comcast.net.
