Varga throws 3rd career no-no for CHCA

SYMMES TWP. – Somewhere, Nancy Reagan is happy.

Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy senior Cam Varga just said no to Seven Hills batters, allowing zero hits while striking out 13 Stingers in a 10-0 victory April 17.

For Varga, a University of North Carolina recruit and Major League Baseball prospect, it was his first no-no of the season after throwing two last year.

“It definitely feels good, but I try not to think about it,” Varga said. “I approach it the same way every game. I want to strike everybody out. If somebody gets a hit, then I want to throw a one-hitter and on up the ladder like that. It really is staying focused on each individual pitch.”

Like pitcher, like coach. CHCA head coach Jeff Keith said he didn’t know a no-hitter was in progress until it was nearly over.

“I’m so focused inning to inning, hitter to hitter, that I’m not really watching the scoreboard,” Keith said. “He didn’t seem loose in the first inning. There was an error behind him and a man got on, but he battled back and didn’t give anything up.

“He got control in the second inning and he was in the driver’s seat after that. There were a couple times he went to 3-0 on hitters and bounced back to strike them out. He was dominant, but that’s the way he pitches.

“I told him good job, go enjoy the night, but be ready to come back and do it again tomorrow. To me he’s a pitcher and he had his best game of the year so far. Congratulations on a job well done, but that’s the thing about baseball. There’s always another game tomorrow and you have to work just as hard for that one.”

Senior catcher Kyle Davis went 2-for-3 with a double and home run while junior right fielder Ryan Smith was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI. More than enough offense for Varga.

“It definitely takes stress away from the pitchers (when throwing with a lead),” Varga said. “That’s the thing I like about this team. We’re always going, always trying to add on runs. I know in the fourth or fifth or sixth inning we’re going as hard as we were in the first and that makes me want to go out and keep up my end.

“I love it. I feel like I can count on every one of my teammates at the plate and in the field. I love being part of that kind of team.”

Varga started playing baseball at age 4. He committed to the University of Florida as a shortstop following eighth grade. But when his family moved from the Sunshine State to Cincinnati and he began concentrating on pitching instead of playing in the field, UNC became a better college option.

While the Major League Baseball draft is a possibility come June, Varga said he wants to study business and entrepreneurship in college. His favorite class right now is English and he enjoys writing.

Off the field and out of the classroom, Varga likes to hunt and fish. He’s hooked several eight- and nine-pound bass and takes annual trip with his dad to go after deer and wild turkey in Missouri.

Athletic genes run in the Varga family. Cam’s 15-year-old sister, Kiersten, recently landed a spot on the U17 national beach volleyball team.