POWDERSVILLE — Every good athlete has a certain driving force to give them that edge.
Camden Troyer is no different.
“I was never a big-time recruit,” said Troyer, a 2021 graduate of Powdersville High School. “I just worked hard in the weight room and I always enjoyed being the underdog.”
Camden is the first PHS grad to ever get drafted in the big leagues, which was in the 12th round by the New York Yankees (374th pick overall) on July 14, 2025. He left for Tampa the following Wednesday.
“I give all the glory to God and that’s very important to me,” he said.
Added Wade Padgett, about what it was like coaching Camden at PHS, “He was an amazing player to coach. He was an incredibly hard worker, and would do anything to help set up or work on the field without asking. You could tell he had a chance to play the game for a long time because of how intrinsically driven he was. Our team was really good that year because he was not only our best player, but our hardest working. He took a lot of young players under his wing too and showed them how you should prepare and practice.”
Camden is currently the starting center fielder for the Hudson Valley Renegades (High Class A team) of the Yankees. He’s bulked up to 210 pounds and stands in at 6-foot-1.
He was brought up last year to play for the Renegades with a month left in the season.
And for the Troyer family, they’ll never forget a certain story. It was his dad Herb’s 58th birthday and they were in Brooklyn, New York. Camden and his Renegades team were playing the Mets team (the Cyclones). Herb’s wife had forget to get him a birthday gift on that day.
“He (Herb) said he would really like Camden to hit a home run,” said Keesha.
And he did!
“It was his first at-bat and we’ll never forget it,” said Keesha.
Added Herb, “It was awesome. He (Camden) has a tradition of getting off to a hot start and he hit the ground running.”
To start this season (in 2026), Camden has started in center field in five of the first six games for the Renegades. Camden was Player of the Game in the opening game this season, which featured a double (and he scored on an error) and a triple in that game.
Locally, several of the local baseball fans still remember him starring at PHS. He still holds the school record for batting average at .465. He went on to play one year at Clemson University and then three years at Liberty University where he had 10 home runs and a .300 batting average his senior season.
Camden is the second youngest of seven kids in his family and his parents are Keesha (mom) and Herb (dad).
Mark your calendar: Camden and the Hudson Valley Renegades are scheduled to play close by at the Greenville Drive from Aug. 4-9.
The big move: The Troyer family lived in the state of Delaware and then moved to South Carolina when Camden was in the eighth grade.
“South Carolina is a better baseball area,” Camden quickly said about the move.
Camden said there were so many more baseball opportunities with travel baseball in South Carolina, and the support of his parents to help make it all happen.
Building a new life: At 23 years old, Camden is “living the dream” in the baseball world.
But close to a month ago (on March 28), Camden got married in Tampa to Madden. “It’s a lot of changes, but good changes,” he said.