Name: Jake Adams
Year: senior
Hometown: Hinsdale
When did you start playing baseball?
I started playing when I was about 5. My mom coached our T-ball team.
What do you enjoy most about the sport?
I love that it's a team game and one individual can't run the game. I like that it all revolves around having a good team.
Were you able to play during the pandemic?
I played on Top Tier (club baseball) and that let me play during the pandemic and do some practices.
What is your favorite position to play?
I like playing third base. You get a lot of action, as it's the hot corner, and you get a lot of fast ground balls that are on you right away. You've always got to be ready for anything.
Do you have any pre-game rituals or routines?
I always wear two different colored socks and we always stir the soup (a stretch) as a team before the game.
What is the best advice you've gotten from a coach?
You play for one, you get many, but if you play for many, you get none.
What is your goal for the season?
The goal was to win conference and now the goal is to win a regional (title) and then a sectional and then state.
Cubs or Sox?
Cubs.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
I'm a pianist. (I play) anything - pop songs, any classical songs, anything. I've been playing since third grade.
What are your plans for the fall?
I'm going to Indiana University.
Why does coach Jason Ziemer like having Adams on the team?
I really enjoy coaching Jake because he is an old-school baseball player. His uniform is always dirty and he's played hurt for a majority of the season. He is the epitome of a team player, because he can do, and is willing to do, a variety of things to help the team win. He can play multiple positions on the field - third base, short stop and pitcher - and plays each of them well. In fact he is probably the best defensive third basemen that I've had at Central. Offensively,he can hit anywhere in the order, can bunt and hit the ball to all fields. We would not be having the success that we are having without Jake Adams.
- profile by Pamela Lannom, photo by Jim Slonoff