In Josh Camalick's family's three-car garage in Burr Ridge, there is usually a car on the left side and one on the right.

But in the middle?

"I take up the middle spot," he said.

Camalick has a makeshift batting cage set up in the garage and has been known to whack baseballs from 20 minutes to an hour nonstop before working out for 90 minutes to two hours.

"We bought the net and tee and a little machine that flips the balls." Camalick said of the space used in the middle of the garage.

All of his work in the garage paid off. After playing just part time on Hinsdale Central's high school varsity baseball team in 2008, he mashed the ball to the tune of a .554 batting average with 10 homers and 45 RBI for Central in 2009 and was a special All-State mention by the Tribune.

The third baseman/catcher picked up a scholarship to Bradley University.

"Compared to last year, this is awesome," he said. "I worked hard to prepare for my senior year and it worked out for the best."

Camalick is playing summer ball for the Downers Grove-based Longshots and will be involved in the Diamond Sports World Series at Illinois State University in Normal starting July 31.

Longshots coach Rob Rooney is proud of how far Camalick has come in the past two seasons.

"He is probably one of the top couple of kids that I've coached in my career who improved over a couple-year span," Rooney said. "He has a tremendous work ethic and tremendous passion. He made himself into a Division I player. The Missouri Valley Conference in the Midwest is as good as it gets. I think he will have a great college career.

"He's an example of why travel baseball can help you," Rooney added. "Josh is a guy who was on everyone's radar screen because he's a catcher and third baseman. The scouts didn't get to see him catch in high school. But they got to see him catch with us. They saw him enough where they liked him and followed him. It worked out well."

Bradley signed 16 players including Schaumburg High School's David Compitello, Fenwick's Mike Falsetti, Palatine's Mike Tauchman and Glen Ellyn native Brian Martin, who attended Montini Catholic High School and the College of DuPage.

By Jeff Vorva

Triblocal.com reporter