Growing up as childhood friends playing baseball in Newburgh, Matthew Fisher and Cam Tilly actually built mounds to pitch from, dreaming of one day playing professional baseball.
“We would go back and forth,” says Tilly, who lived in Downtown Newburgh by the Ohio River, while Fisher grew up off Epworth Road. “Matthew and I would build mounds at my house in the side yard. Whenever we hung out, his house or mine, we would make do with what we had to imagine playing in MLB one day.”
Now, the friends, who are both right-handed pitchers with successful quarterback careers playing high school football, are realizing their pro ball dreams together and may even be future rivals in the National League East — the stuff dreams are made of. Fisher, a 2025 graduate of Evansville’s Reitz Memorial High School, signed on July 22 with the Philadelphia Phillies for $1.25 million, a record for a seventh-round draft choice and far above the slot value of $257,700. Tilly, a 2023 grad of Newburgh’s Castle High School, signed with the New York Mets on July 19 for $397,500, above the slot value of $254,000. Fisher was the No. 221 pick overall, two ahead of his boyhood pal, who was also chosen in the seventh round of the MLB draft July 14 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Cam and I have been really good friends ever since we were little,” says Fisher, who chose playing pro ball with the Phillies over continuing his career at Indiana University. “We always played together and would even play our own games in the backyard while both having the dream of someday being big leaguers. Fast forward to now and see that happen. It is truly incredible, and I am really happy for him to get this opportunity.” Tilly adds, “To get to experience this with him is indescribable.”
Fisher’s bonus, in line with a late second-round pick, more than made up for the disappointment of slipping from a projected early second-round pick to the seventh round. He was projected the No. 46 pick by MLB.com, which would’ve landed him early in the second round.
“Obviously I was disappointed to not see my name come off the board on the first day,” Fisher says. “But at the end of the day, the draft is a crazy event and anything can happen. I think my family, adviser, and I regrouped after the first day and went about the second day with a similar mindset. … After it’s said and done, I couldn’t be happier to hear my name called and to have the opportunity to be a part of such an amazing organization.”
“I’m really excited to be with a great organization like the Phillies,” he adds. “And I am really excited to get to work.”
Fisher is working out at the Phillies’ minor league complex in Clearwater, Florida; he has not yet been assigned to a minor league team. Named Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, Fisher is well-acquainted with Phillies General Manager Preston Mattingly, a Central High School grad and the son of Toronto Blue Jays coach and former New York Yankees first baseman Don Mattingly. “I have been fortunate enough to meet (Preston) several times through several conversations over the phone as well as in Phoenix during the (MLB draft) combine,” Fisher says.
Similarly, Tilly is working out at the Mets’ minor league complex in Port St. Lucie, Florida. “Emotions are high: new environment, new teammates, new coaches, so a lot to be excited about,” says Tilly, who wrapped his second season at Auburn University this spring. “It feels surreal, to finally be at this point in my career, because it’s something I’ve always dreamed of. We haven’t been assigned to teams yet, but I’m slowly ramping back up for the upcoming season.” Tilly says he will remain in Port St. Lucie until early September.
Fisher, whose high-spin fastball touches 95 mph and has a feel for four pitches, also impressed scouts with his athletic 6-foot-3, 208-pound frame. He posted a 6-0 record with a 0.76 earned run average with 61 strikeouts and 11 walks in 362/3 innings this past spring. He is the highest draft pick from Memorial chosen since Steve Obenchain was selected out of the University of Evansville in the supplemental section of the first round, No. 37 overall, by the then-Oakland A’s in 2002. Fisher, who is the ninth Memorial grad to be picked in the MLB draft, was a high school teammate of Ryan Obenchain, Steve’s son, at Memorial. Ryan will be a senior this fall.
“It’s a humbling and rewarding feeling,” Fisher says. “There are a lot of incredible people (and) players who have come out of Memorial. There is such a rich history and to now be a part of that is incredible. I’m really thankful to all the people who have supported me.”
Originally projected to be chosen from the third through seventh rounds out of Castle in 2023, Tilly went undrafted that year. “The numbers didn’t meet with my numbers,” he says. Once again draft eligible in 2025, Tilly had a 3-3 record with a 5.48 ERA in his sophomore season for Auburn, striking out 58 and walking 28 in 46 innings. His fastball tops out at 97 mph, but his slider and splitter are regarded as his best pitches. “The Mets will tap into my fastball and make it better,” he says. Although Tilly started only six games among 18 appearances for the Tigers, he is projected to be a starter in the minors. “Everybody wants to be a starter,” says the 6-2, 207-pounder.
He sought advice coming out of high school about whether to sign a pro contract or not from Zach Messinger, a Castle grad who was selected in the 13th round of the 2021 draft by the New York Yankees after helping lead the University of Virginia to the College World Series. Messinger is pitching for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in Pennsylvania. Tilly is proud of Castle’s tradition: He and Messinger are among eight Castle graduates who have been drafted. “Castle baseball is pretty deep,” he says.
Tilly, who was a member of the 2022 USA Baseball 18U national team that competed in the Baseball World Cup, was 11-0 with an 0.66 ERA his senior season at Castle with 118 strikeouts with 15 walks in 64 innings. He noted that four Southern Indiana Athletic Conference players have been drafted in the past few years, and 2021 Southridge High grad Colson Montgomery is thriving as a rookie shortstop/third baseman for the Chicago White Sox after being called up July 4. As of Aug. 4, he had hit seven home runs and had 16 runs batted in, all in his most recent 11 games with the White Sox. Additionally, Cameron Decker was chosen in the 18th round of the 2022 draft out of North High School by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He plays first base and left and right field for the Great Lakes Loons, the Dodgers’ High-A affiliate.
“It’s great for Southern Indiana,” Tilly says.
