By Lori Lyons
Rougarou Writer
When the Baton Rouge Rougarou sent its players to the local Buffalo Wild Wings for a wing-eating contest last month, Kameren Hardebeck went prepared with a strategy.
After wolfing down the initial 12 wings, he kept ordering the requisite six at a time, but in different flavors.
“You have to mix it up, otherwise, flavor fatigue sets in,” he explained – like a pro.
And that’s how the tall Texan crushed his competition, knocking down 50 wings to take the title.
Hardebeck is crushing the competition on the field this summer too.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound right hander from Texas City, Texas, is one of the Rougarou’s top pitchers, as evidenced by his 2.42 earned run average and 4-0 record. He has thrown 22 innings with three starts and five saves, 19 strikeouts and 10 walks. Those numbers earned him a spot on the Team Louisiana roster for the 2024 Texas Collegiate League All-Star game.
There, he pitched the fifth inning to help Team Louisiana take a 3-0 win and complete a combined no-hitter. No pressure.
“I knew what I had to do and I got it done,” he said.
Hardebeck said it was a great experience and he is proud of his team’s performance, but he may have been just a little more excited about the trip on a private jet to Seguin for the game.
“The All-Star game was 100 percent something I’ll never forget,” he said. “Not only did I sit in the front of a private jet on the way to the All-Star game, (the pilot) took pictures of me, letting me control the airplane. So I now can say that I flew a private jet.”
But Hardebeck also is happy with the work he’s gotten this summer, especially coming off a hamstring injury that limited his playing time last season.
“With it being as busy as it is, I really enjoy it,” Hardebeck said. “I knew what it was going to be like going in and I’ve definitely taken advantage of what I’ve gotten, the opportunities I’ve had on the mound. I just try to go out there and pitch to the best of my ability so I can help my team get a win. I’m more than pleased.”
Hardebeck does have a little trouble deciding if he’d rather be a starter or a closer.
“Oh man,” he said. “The adrenaline going in the game in the ninth inning and knowing that you need three outs to win a baseball game, that’s hard to beat. But, with that being said, being able to step on the mound in the first inning and taking control of the game and knowing that you have four, five or six innings to do your best and try to stop the other team from scoring, that’s just where it is. Starting is just in my roots.”
Rougarou coach James Dillard is happy to have him either way – as well as off the field.
“Kameren brings so much to the table besides being a good pitcher,” Dillard said. “He is very selfless in that he always puts everyone else’s needs in front of his own. He truly does care more for the team than his own stats and that is a rare quality to have in summer baseball. Kameren will be a success in life once his baseball career is over. He understands what it takes to be good and is always doing that little extra to be the best version of himself. I have become a better person just by being around Kameren this summer. I will be a fan of his for the rest of my life. He is a quality human and I’m thankful that he is a Rougarou.”
A star pitcher and left fielder in high school, who also played golf, tennis and was a percussionist on the drum line, Hardebeck initially committed to the University of St. Thomas in Houston before deciding Galveston College was a smarter and more economical choice.
“I ended up making a way better decision and Galveston College,” Hardebeck said. “Instead of paying $70,000 and living in a crowded city, I paid a tenth of that and lived on a beach.”
Now he is weighing a choice between Houston Christian University with an established coach and program, and St. Mary’s in San Antonio, which has a new head coach and is trying to build a program.
“I’m not exactly sure what to do,” he said.
Hardebeck also has been to the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina – in 2022 as a player on Texas Post 554/League City, and last year as a coach for the team that won the championship.
In the meantime, he is enjoying being a Rougarou and, especially, living with his host family, Brandon and Adrienne Hollie, the owners of Rougarou sponsor Relief Windows. He shares the home with teammates Reagan James and Mason Ruiz.
“I got completely blessed with my host family,” Hardebeck said. “It’s extremely amazing to live with them. They have kept us fed, entertained, and given us everything we have ever asked for or needed. It’s a blessing to live with them. We got super lucky. Having Brandon as a host dad, and him being a successful businessman, he has taught us a lot about what it takes to be successful in life. The food, the house, and the way he talks to us has been my favorite thing about him, just listening to his stories and how he became successful.”