Not much gets past Rhett Adams.
A slick fielding Neuqua Valley senior, Adams emerged as one of the area’s elite infielders last spring. Now he hopes to enhance his reputation for defense and also become a more complete contributor.
“He may be the best defensive player in the [Upstate Eight],” said Wildcat coach Robin Renner. “He’s just really, really good. He turned two double plays [Tuesday against DeKalb] in that cold weather, … and that gives the pitchers a lot of confidence. The other guys feed off of that too. He takes pride in his defense and it kind of rubs off.”
A 5-foot-11 second baseman, Adams committed just four errors in his first varsity season last spring. Neuqua Valley went 25-12 and finished third in the Upstate Eight with an 18-9 record.
The Wildcats are off to a promising start at 5-0 (4-0 Upstate Eight) through Wednesday’s 7-2 victory over DeKalb, as Adams went 2-for-3 in the six-inning game. On Tuesday the two teams tied 5-5 in a game suspended by darkness.
“It’s looking good,” said Adams. “We don’t have any big-time stars like we did last year. So everybody’s got to know their role and kind of chip in. So far it’s been just one guy stepping up every game.”
Adams has played competitive baseball since age 12. In high school, he’s competed in as many as 75 games a year in the spring season and summer leagues.
Through those games and hundreds of hours of practice, he’s honed defensive skills to the point where almost anything hit his way turns into an out.
“I like being able to make the big play,” said Adams. “It takes constant practice. Renner drills me every day. He probably does about 10 to 15 minutes of drills and work [daily]. I’d say every season during practices I probably end up taking about 1,000 balls. It’s just constant work.”
Renner is looking for Adams to contribute more on the field and in the dugout.
“I expect him to solidify our infield, and I do expect a little more offense out of him this year than last year,” said Renner. “I expect him to be a good solid positive leader and kind of show the younger guys what it takes to compete at this level and in this conference.”
Last year Adams hit about .270 and was named all-Upstate Eight honorable mention. He’s shooting for a considerably higher average this season.
“I know I’ve got the talent to hit .350 or .400,” he said. “It’s just getting aggressive and staying positive. That’s the biggest thing with me. At the beginning of the season we had some good weather, and I started the first day with four RBIs.”
Adams plans to continue his baseball career next year, possibly at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
Adams is part of what could be one of the area’s best infields. Top returnees at Neuqua include 6-5 senior shortstop Keelan Amelianovich, who also earned honorable mention all-conference honors last year, and first baseman Mike Oberlin, who had a school record .444 batting average as a junior.
“First base, second base, shortstop, that’s the base of our team,” said Renner.
Also back is senior pitcher Alex Chapple, who went 5-3 last spring. Seniors starting for the first time include left fielder Paul Enger, right fielder Bobby Abel and catcher Tony Tardi.
A strong junior class includes third baseman and cleanup hitter Matt Newquist, who is still recovering from a basketball injury; shortstop/designated hitter Ryan Tokarz; center fielder Brad Magnus; and left handed pitcher Burke Baldwin.
“If we can score runs, we’ll compete,” said Renner. “I think our pitching will keep us in games and our defense will certainly keep us in games, but we’ve got to be able to move the baseball.”
