Winthrop will get a nice contribution from ex-Bulldog

Harlem High School baseball standout Patrick Gamblin has decided to play his college ball at Division I Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C.

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Winthrop has a solid program.

Since head coach Joe Hudak took over the program 18 years ago, Winthrop has beaten a number of big-time programs, including Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State and Ohio State. Winthrop also boasts five wins over both Georgia and South Carolina.

Winthrop features players from as far away as Australia and Italy, but had only one player from the Peach State on its 2008 roster.

The school will be getting a terrific player in the Harlem product.

Gamblin burst onto the scene two years ago, when he led the county in hitting, batting .488 as a sophomore.

Last season, Gamblin hit a robust .465, with seven homers, and he paced the county in doubles (16) and RBI (42). In addition to his ability at the plate, he was a key figure for Harlem on the mound, and has been clocked at 90 mph.

Another former Bulldog closing college career in style

Former Harlem standout Tim Camp has put together a solid college football career during his first three years at Georgia Southern.

The reserve receiver had 23 career catches for a team that primarily ran the football, and he also was a special teams standout for the Eagles.

He has stepped up his game in 2008. Camp already has exceeded his career totals in every receiving category. So far this season, he has 25 catches for 416 yards. He leads GSU in yards per catch (16.6) and touchdowns (four).

Camp has also been "Mr. Clutch" for the Eagles in 2008. It was his 65-yard catch and run that tied things in the closing seconds of the 34-27 win over Northeastern in September.

He also played a key role in the Eagles' thrilling comeback win over Western Carolina on Oct. 25. The Eagles trailed 31-3 in the fourth quarter when they mounted an amazing comeback. Once again, it was Camp who hauled in a touchdown to tie things up late. His 5-yard touchdown reception with 32 seconds left knotted the score at 31 and set the stage for GSU's 38-31 overtime victory. That win set an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision all-time record for the largest fourth-quarter comeback.

The Eagles are 5-4 on the season, but all of their losses have come to ranked opponents, including a 45-21 loss to Georgia in their first game. At press time, Camp only had two more regular-season games remaining in his college career, but a future in Arena Football or in Canada is certainly a possibility.

Either way, it is great to see him closing out his college career with a senior season to remember.