John Carroll's Frank Adamski left his mark on and off the field as The Aegis 2023 baseball Player of the Year
Jun. 22—After the culmination of this spring's season, Darrion Siler heard a story that perfectly encapsulates the indelible mark Frank Adamski left on the John Carroll baseball program.
One junior varsity player, unprompted, approached Siler, John Carroll's seventh-year coach. He shared something that, for him, has become habitual: Every time the freshman third baseman mans his corner infield post for a game, he makes a point of shaking the third base coach's hand and introducing himself.
Why? "Because that's what Frankie does."
Adamski started connecting with opposing third base coaches early in his junior year with the sole intention of hoping to build relationships and make connections around the league. The example set by those who came before him left an impression. So every time Adamski was around the younger guys, he wanted to set a similar precedent.
"I honestly couldn't be more proud of that," Adamski said. "The stats at the end of the day don't matter. There are kids who love this game and they love John Carroll. ... Anytime the younger guys are around I'd just try to do things the right way."
He may deflect the numbers, but they're hard to ignore. The Aegis baseball Player of the Year finished his senior season slashing .455/.514/.686 with 55 hits, 31 RBIs and 15 walks. Not to mention two errors on 73 chances from the hot corner. Adamski helped John Carroll charge to the MIAA A Conference semifinal before narrowly falling to Calvert Hall, 4-3.
"He's probably one of the most competitive kids that I've been able to coach," Siler said. "He continued to carry on a legacy and he made his own imprint — his own stamp. He made his own impression which has been seismic."
There was a time in late April when the Patriots' season looked bleak. Their championship aspirations were crumbling around them. John Carroll was 4-5 and needed a reset.
Adamski and his fellow seniors organized a players-only meeting. They brought the team out to center field at Kutcher Foundation Stadium, their home diamond, where together they meditated — a common practice at the school. Then came an open forum about their recent struggles.
"We laid down and closed our eyes for two minutes just visualizing happy moments," Adamski said. "Good moments in your life or things that make you happy. I remember when we sat up, my first sentence was, 'Alright boys, here we are. We're 4-5 in the middle of the season. What's our plan going forward?'"
Teammates opened up to one another about individual and collective struggles of playing sloppy baseball. It flipped a switch amongst the group. Following that meeting, with many of his teammates having left practice, Adamski found his coaches.
"I walked down the hill with them," he said, "and told them, 'This team is ready, and I'm ready. I want to lead this team.'"
A game at Loyola Blakefield was next — one that would become Adamski's most memorable matchup of the season.
He batted second that day. The Dons pitcher hung a slider with two strikes that Adamski pummeled to dead center. His next at-bat came in the third inning. Same setup. Two strikes followed by a hanging slider. Adamski ripped that over the wall in center, too, accounting for half of four Patriots home runs in the win. "I was like, yeah, this is it. This is the turning point for our season," he said.
Siler first noticed Adamski showing signs as a consummate leader and anchor in the lineup during his first full year. The 2020 season was cut short after four games due to the pandemic, so his freshman year provided little more than a light introduction to the league at the varsity level.
Then came his sophomore year when, as Siler says, "Everybody was like, 'Holy crap, who is this kid?'"
Adamski's coming out party was a direct result of the training he dedicated himself to that winter. With most gyms still closed or in a slow progression back to normalcy, Adamski's uncle, Steve Adamski, put him on a strict lifting regimen and diet plan. He bulked up 12 pounds that offseason and lived in a batting cage.
He learned a few valuable lessons as a sophomore. First, that failure is inevitable, so to remind himself more opportunities will come. Next was to always trust and lean on his training — he worked hard and is there for a reason. And lastly — the one he holds closest — to keep the game fun because it's just that, a game.
"The game never got too big for him," Siler said about Adamski's resume of clutch career moments. "He never looked rushed or buried. ... A phrase I tell the guys a lot is, 'You don't rise to the occasion, you sink back to the level of your training.' Frankie just always looked comfortable."
By his senior year, Siler was bewildered at the plays his third baseman could make. Like catching the ball over his back tipping into foul territory, then firing an off-balance, on-the-run throw to first right on the dot for an out. "He would fluidly make Brooks Robinson-type plays."
Adamski is headed to Coastal Carolina to play baseball in the fall. But John Carroll won't soon forget the mark he left, and the recent graduate has every intention of staying closely connected to the program that raised him.
All-County First Team
Taylor Blevins, Havre de Grace, junior, infielder
Blevins played a prominent role as a leader on his nearly all-junior Warriors team. Blevins mustered 23 hits, batting .343 with five doubles and a clutch home run in the regional final. The junior pitched 35 2/3 innings, striking out 33 batters.
Ryan Niedzialowski, C. Milton Wright, senior, infielder
The Mustangs earned a trip to the state final with Niedzialowski playing a big role, batting .388 with four doubles, two home runs and 21 RBIs.
Will Rhine, John Carroll, sophomore, infielder
Rhine struck out only eight times in 125 plate appearances. He ended the season with a .386 average, hitting three home runs and 35 RBIs. John Carroll coach Darion Siler said the University of Maryland commit "shows poise and high game IQ and is a true gamer.
Jackson Wheeler, Patterson Mill, senior, infielder
Wheeler accumulated 31 Hits with 18 RBIs on a .392 average. The senior also pitched 44.2 innings with three wins and 64 strikeouts.
Michael Hemelt, Patterson Mill, junior, outfielder
Hemelt recorded 18 hits and 11 RBIs with five doubles. He also pitched 34 1/3 innings with 65 strikeouts, including shutting out a strong Fallston team.
Alex Tobias, North Harford, senior, outfielder
Tobias finished the season with a .333 average and .870 OPS. The senior tallied 20 hits, eight RBIs, three doubles and a triple while being walked 11 times. Head coach Jeff Burrows called him an "energy leader offensively and defensively."
Cole Williams, C. Milton Wright, senior, outfielder
The senior was a key cog in the Mustangs' state final run. Williams hit six doubles, five triples and 16 RBIs, batting .386. As a pitcher, he threw 45 1/3 innings and struck out 40 batters.
Michael Candy, Perryville, sophomore, catcher
Candy batted .400 with two doubles and two triples with another nine RBIs as a sophomore for the Panthers.
Paul Kvech, Fallston, junior, pitcher
The junior finished with a perfect 7-0 record, propelling Fallston's state playoff push. He pitched 42 innings with 41 strikeouts and six walks.
Matt Bishop, John Carroll, senior, pitcher
Bishop was John Carroll's ace this year. He pitched 33 1/3 innings with 22 strikeouts and a 1.89 ERA. Siler relied on Bishop in "every big game or moment."
Thomas Cannavale, C. Milton Wright, junior, pitcher
C. Milton Wright's ace pitched 46 innings while striking out 64 batters with a 1.67 ERA. He finished 6-1 on the season including eight strikeouts and 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the state final. Cannavale also hit two home runs, four triples and eight doubles.
Jake Baugess-Kimes, Fallston, senior, utility
Baugess-Kimes hit 18 RBIs with 16 runs, three doubles, two triples and swiped seven bases for the Cougars. He averaged .422 with an OBP of .486.
Collin Kight, North Harford, freshman, utility
Kight was a starter all season rotating through the outfield, first base and on the mound. He led the Hawks in wins and saves. North Harford's team MVP hit .306 with 19 hits, two doubles, two home runs and 17 RBIs. He also had a 95.7 fielding percentage.
All-County second team
Bryce Bauer, Havre de Grace, sophomore, infielder
Bauer was a strong, consistent presence for the Warriors state playoff run. He managed 31 hits in 67 at bats, hitting .463 with five doubles and 26 RBIs. He also pitched 40 innings tallying 38 strikeouts.
Ben Bowen, Bel Air, junior, infielder
Head coach Jon Andrews called Bowen his team's best hitter this season, "an outstanding leader and solid defensively wherever asked to perform. Clutch hitting and a tremendous sportsman who will lead the Cats next year in his senior campaign." Bowen hit 20 RBIs and recorded 12 runs batting .353 on the year.
Casey Carpenter, John Carroll, sophomore, infielder
Carpenter recorded only one error on 54 total chances. At the plate, the sophomore recorded 36 hits, 26 RBIs and 12 walks in 122 plate appearances.
Connor Sullivan, Aberdeen, senior, infielder
Sullivan hit .365 with 16 RBIs and a .411 OBP. His best stretch included throwing a one-hit shutout then hitting a perfect 4-4 with five RBIs the following day.
Bubba Tolson, C. Milton Wright, senior, outfielder
The senior hit 19 RBIs with five triples and four doubles on the year as a prominent member of C. Milton Wright's state final run.
Pierce Sponaugle, Perryville, sophomore, outfielder
The sophomore hit a .315 average with four doubles, two triples, 16 RBIs, 18 runs and a whopping 14 stolen bases.
Sean Doron, Aberdeen, junior, outfielder
Doron finished the season batting .344 with a .400 OBP. He recorded 18 runs and swiped 12 bases.
Andrew Mathias, Edgewood, senior, catcher
Edgewood's top performer boasted a .435 batting average with 21 hits, 20 runs and 10 RBIs. Mathias also collected nine doubles, a triple and a home run.
Wyatt Canapp, North Harford, senior, pitcher
Canapp pitched 34.2 innings with 39 strikeouts. The senior was North Harford's ace this season, dubbed a high strike thrower with a heavy fastball.
Finley Jourdan, Fallston, senior, pitcher
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Jourdan pitched 41 innings and threw 49 strikeouts with a 4-1 record and two saves on a strong Fallston pitching staff. The junior also hit 14 RBIs with five doubles and seven steals.
Dyllon Zachry-Nance, Havre de Grace, junior, pitcher
The junior pitched 27.2 innings with a 2.78 ERA and 31 strikeouts. He had three wins and one save on the year. At the plate, Zachry-Nance hit three doubles, a triple and a home run with 10 RBIs.
Travis Loewe, Patterson Mill, junior, utility
Loewe had a productive year as both a leadoff then four hitter for the Huskies. Loewe had 27 hits, 17 RBIs, 17 runs and 11 stolen bases with a .380 average.
Jason Foxx, Fallston, senior, utility
Foxx batted .357 with 14 RBIs, 21 runs, 21 walks and six doubles with a .494 OBP. He also stole six bases on the year.
