Wow!
Former Rock baseball standout
Matt Adams, who batted .355 and .310 respectively and clobbered a total of 32 home runs in his first two professional seasons, continues to feast on professional pitching, just like he did while wearing the Green and White.
The team’s starting first baseman, Adams leads the Springfield (Mo.) Cardinals, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Double-A Texas League affiliate, in batting average (. 308), home runs (10), RBIs (30), slugging percentage (.623) and OPS (.966) after 33 games.
Adams, who earned the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II national Player of the Year award in 2009 after batting .495, has also smacked nine doubles and one triple this season.
“Somebody needs to pay attention to him and get him out of here and on to Triple-A," Arkansas Travelers manager Bill Mosiello recently joked when interviewed by Kary Booher, sports editor of the Springfield News-Leader. "If they are dumb enough to keep him here, he might hit 40 home runs.”
“He's a complete player,” Mosiello added. “He hits lefties, uses the whole field and you can't do the same thing to him (in ensuing at-bats) because he makes adjustments.”
Adams has also earned the respect of the player who usually bats ahead of him in the Cardinals’ batting order.
According to Booher, Ryan Jackson said with a grin, “Usually when I get on base, I get to jog.”
Booher put it all in the proper perspective when he wrote: “Look at the stats this way: Adams is winning the pitcher-hitter battles in a league where breaking balls, not fastballs, are emphasized when pitchers fall behind in the count.”
And, oftentimes when the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Philipsburg native wins one of those pitcher-hitter battles it’s in the same “Oh, my …” fashion to which Rock fans became accustomed during Adams’ three seasons at The Rock. He smacked a 431-foot home run May 7 against the Arkansas Travelers in Springfield.
What can we say except
Wow!!
We are impressed, but having watched him play three seasons at The Rock, we can’t say we’re surprised at his ROCK-solid success as a professional.
While we are talking about former Rock baseball standouts …
•
Don Pugliese was the first-round pick of the Traverse City Beach Bums in the May 4 Frontier League draft. Prior to signing with the Beach Bums, he served as an assistant coach at Thiel College in Greenville.
• Pugliese was the second former Rock pitcher to join the Beach Bums via the Frontier League draft in the last two seasons.
Scott Dunn was the team’s second-round pick in 2010 and proceeded to be one of the team’s relief specialists. He finished the season with a 1-2 record, five saves and a 2.20 ERA. He struck out 52 and walked only 18 in 57 and one-third innings and held opponents to just a .208 batting average, the lowest mark on the team.
• Former Rock pitcher/current Shippensburg University head coach
Matt Jones led the Raiders to a second-place finish in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Eastern Division competition this spring.
• Former Rock pitcher
Chris Squeglia recently completed his second season as graduate assistant on the California (Pa.) University baseball staff and helped lead the Vulcans to a third-place finish in the PSAC-Western Division.
• Also “shoutouts” to three individuals with whom we had the privilege of working here at SRU:
Steve Roach,
Jeff Michaels and
Carrie Osborne Michaels. We saw all three of them last weekend at either the PSAC baseball and/or outdoor track and field championship events. All three formerly served as Assistant to the Athletic Director here at The Rock and are now athletic administrators at other PSAC schools (
“traitors!”), Roach as Associate AD at Millersville, Jeff Michaels as Acting AD at Shippensburg and Carrie Michaels as Acting Associate AD/Senior Woman Administrator at Ship.
• And last but certainly not lease: A closing round of applause to SRU Assistant SID
Jon Holtz, graduate assistant
Tyler McIntosh and our student worker staff of
Erika Aldrich,
Brianne Dishong,
Samantha Eddy,
Alex Hirschy,
Dakota McCoy and
Amy Walls for a job well done last weekend as hosts of the PSAC outdoor track and field championships.
Very proud of y’all!!
Until we talk again …
Rock Pride!
Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
