Ben McQuown had to travel a long way to honor his only Division I offer.

After two years at Lower Columbia Community College in Washington, the 2008 Waianae alumnus crossed the country to North Carolina to play baseball at Campbell University.

With no other Division I offers, McQuown enrolled at Campbell without ever visiting the campus.

Two years later, it’s evident that the move has worked out pretty well.

"The first thing I noticed was how big the school was," McQuown said over the phone Tuesday. "Then I started to realize how cold it gets."

The weather might get cold, but McQuown has been red hot for two straight years with the Camels.

As a junior, he hit .315 with six doubles and 43 runs scored, helping Campbell accomplish the first 40-win season in school history to finish second in the Big South Conference.

Things have only gotten better this year, as Campbell earned its first national ranking in a major poll.

On Tuesday, the Camels, ranked No. 30 by Collegiate Baseball, picked up their 40th win in 49 games with a 6-2 triumph over College of Charleston.

Heading into the final conference series of the season, Campbell is 16-5 in the Big South and leads the North Division by 2½ games.

The Camels have already secured a berth in the Big South Conference tournament and currently hold an RPI of 40, which gives them a legit shot at making an NCAA regional for the first time.

However, they could take all the guessing out of it by securing the league’s automatic berth with a victory in the tournament.

"We got off to a really good start, and that’s when we really started thinking about making a regional," McQuown said. "We’re starting to do some big things here at Campbell."

McQuown has been a big part of it, setting the table for the Camels as the team’s leadoff hitter and starting center fielder.

Entering the week, McQuown was tops in the nation with 44 stolen bases; he is currently hitting .324 with 10 doubles, four homers and 56 runs scored, which is sixth-most in the country.

He also ranks in the top 100 with 30 walks drawn and 13 hit by pitches to give him a .443 on-base percentage.

"Our baserunning system here is wide open," McQuown said. "Coach tells us that everyone has the green light and I feel like once I get on, especially with one out or nobody out, we have a higher chance of scoring if I can get on to second base instead of just standing on first."

The former Searider played both baseball and football at Waianae, where he was the team’s starting quarterback.

He suffered a horrible elbow injury playing football that forced him to have Tommy John surgery as a freshman.

He said his rehabilitation from that procedure has made him a stronger player today.

"I feel like things happen for a reason, because ever since then, I’ve come back stronger and my arm feels a lot stronger than it was," he said.

McQuown attended Lewis and Clark State during his freshman year of college but redshirted.

He transferred to a junior college in Columbia, Wash., where he spent two years and hit over .400 as a sophomore.

He was named first team all-conference, but his only offer to play Division I baseball came from Campbell, which has reaped the benefits since.

In 108 career games, McQuown has recorded 127 hits, 16 doubles and five homers with 63 RBIs. He is one run scored away from reaching 100 in a little less than two years.

"We know we have a chance to do something this year," he said. "We have a really good chance of being better than last year and I think our goal is instead of hoping to get to the conference tournament like we did last year, we’re hopeful that we can win it this year and make a regional as opposed to last year."

The Camels host a nonconference series against New Orleans next weekend before the Big South Championship tournament, which takes place May 21-25 in Lynchburg, Va.