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Hernando Today

Casey's at the bat

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By MARTY MILLER

Hernando Today correspondent

Published: June 2, 2008

When Hernando Leopard baseball player Casey Adams was 5-years-old and began playing T-ball for the Hernando Youth League, he knew even then he had found something he liked.

Now as a senior, Adams realized his dream by recently signing a baseball scholarship to play for Bishop State Community College, a two-year school in Mobile, Ala.

Adams, a 6-foot-3 senior who was 2-1 with a 5.10 ERA for the Leopards this year, knew early on that he wanted to play baseball.

"I've played baseball for 13 years now," said Adams when he and teammates Dustin Pugh and Andrew McNeal also signed with Bishop State in a ceremony held at Coney Island in Brooksville. "I played football for one year in middle school and one year in high school, but I always liked playing baseball.

"It's fun, that's the important thing," insisted Adams. "It's just fun to be around it, the atmosphere and playing ball with my friends."

Potential Is There

His coach, Donnie Whitehead, believes that even though Adams only pitched in 10 games for the Leopards this year, he has a lot of potential.

"If I had to say anything about Casey Adams it would be he has a lot of untapped talent," shared Whitehead. "He's solid mechanically, he's got an above-average change-up but he needs to get bigger physically."

Whitehead also said that Adams, Pugh and McNeal all have to adjust to how college baseball is played.

"A lot of kids coming out of high school need to do the same thing as Casey," Whitehead said. "It's a lot harder work in college than they realize. They find when they get to the next level, it's a lot harder work than they anticipated."

His father Mike Adams, who was also at the signing, said he never really thought about if his son would play baseball after high school.

"When he was young, I don't think we ever considered it," said the older Adams. "But we're proud of him now that he can do it. He's getting the opportunity to go to college and having a shot at doing something in life."

Adams said that a visit to the Alabama campus convinced him it was the place he wanted to attend.

"I like the coaching staff and the baseball training program they have," said Adams. "I figured I could go to a smaller school or a community college and transfer later to a four-year school."

Time To Say Goodbye

The fact that the school is in Alabama is also affecting his mother Barb.

"It's killing me," she said. "He's my baby and it's hard to let him go. We'll try to make as many games as we can to watch him."

Adams along with the other two Leopards who signed with Bishop State plan to play summer ball for HYL this year.

He also said he is not worried about going away from home to attend college.

"I'm going to play baseball and the next level, which is something I've always wanted to do," said Adams. "It bothers me a little that I'll be so far away and not be able to see my family and friends, but I've wanted to do this since I was a kid playing in HYL."

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