(Editor’s Note: Adam is a 2014 graduate of MacArthur HS where he had a standout career. He captured the Diamond Award in 2013 and 2014 – given annually to the top pitcher in Nassau County. He was named second-team All-State and first-team All-State in 2013 and ’14, respectively. Despite getting recruited by some of the top programs in the nation, he chose to attend Hofstra University where he made his collegiate debut at UCLA. After two seasons, he transferred to SUNY Old Westbury where he performed well in 2017 and was off to a great start in 2018 – winning the team’s first two games. After suffering a torn rotator cuff, he came back for his fifth season and was named All-Region and won a playoff game for the Panthers. We had him on IG Live, and here’s a transcript of the converstion. It is shortened for brevity.)
What is your involvement now with Old Westbury?
This past season, [Rod Stephan] gave me a great opportunity to be an assistant coach under him. I’m pretty much the assistant pitching coach because we have Patrick Shortt over there doing a great job. I was assisting pitching coach duties, but also assisting with everyday activities like practice plans and stuff like that. I always had a good relationship with Rod. I’ve known him my whole life, he played college ball with my dad. So, he just gave me a really great opportunity and the other coaches have been really good to me. They’ve been tutoring me along the way and trying to get me to that next step in coaching myself.
What was your plan following college? Were you getting a Master’s or you graduated?
I graduated with my Bachelor’s in history. I haven’t applied for my Master’s yet, it’s been something I’ve kind of put off a little bit. I’m trying to chase that dream of playing still. That’s something that’ll never really go away for me. With everything going on, it kind of put a wrinkle into things. So, right now I’m looking towards my Master’s in teaching. I can get into the teaching field and coach as well.
Let’s talk about last year. You overcame rotator cuff surgery and performed very well going All-Region. The team went deep into the playoffs. Did you surprise yourself with how well your body responded to the surgery?
I wouldn’t really say I surprised myself because I had the mindset going into it that this was something I’m doing 100%. I never really had any doubts in my mind about coming back and playing. As soon as I had the surgery, I tried to speed up the process the first opportunity I could without further injuring myself. I got into physical therapy right away. They did a great job with me and had me throwing a baseball again about a month after. It was pretty much just an accelerated process. I definitely started throwing sooner than I thought I would – something that was pleasantly surprising to me. But I knew I’d come back. It was my last year and I was going to give it everything I had.
You were one of the top ranked pitchers in the state when you were at MacArthur. Were you surprised that you didn’t get drafted out of high school?
Yeah, I was a little surprised. I knew there was a lot of interest in me. It was one of those things where I had the calls coming from all over to see if I wanted to pursue professional baseball or continue on with my college career. My goal and my dream was to play professional baseball, but I don’t think I had a good grasp on what I wanted to do yet. I don’t think I made a decision quick enough and teams were a bit apprehensive in taking me because they weren’t sure if they were wasting a pick or not. It was kind of just a fluke thing. My interest was there, I’d told teams that from the beginning and I would definitely consider. But the timing just didn’t work out unfortunately.
Did the scouts showing up to your games in high school ever get to you or did you thrive in those situations?
I never really had a problem with the scouts being there. I think I thrived under it. When the college scouts were there, it was interesting to see all the eyes behind home plate. I think it made my team play a little better, too. They all rose to the occasion because there was some eyes on us. We had a lot of great players my junior year. When I was committed my senior year, that’s when the professional scouts came and I think it just took it to another level for me. It made me raise my level of play a little bit. You really don’t get too many opportunities to have professional scouts come to your games, so I think I stepped up to the challenge a little bit and it showed on the field.
MacArthur made it to the county finals in 2012 and 2013, but lost both times. Which year bothered you more?
I think 2013 bothers me more because I was on the team from the start. As a junior, you feel bad for the seniors and you kind of want to win it for them. I came up halfway through the year in 2012. That one definitely hurt too, but I think 2013 hurt more. I pitched the first game that year and lost. I didn’t pitch great and I put that game on myself. We played well, but Massapequa was loaded. We ran into great teams, sometimes you run into great teams and you just don’t win those battles.
You were recruited by a lot of Division-I schools. Which schools did you visit?
My visits were mainly local schools – so Hofstra, Stony Brook, Binghamton, Marist, and Fordham were the ones I visited. I also did a Junior Day with St. John’s. The out-of-state schools I didn’t really visit. It was more of a “touching base” recruiting basis. Clemson and USC called after a game, but that’s about it. A lot of the recruiting was kept to the metro area.
So after you graduated you chose to go to Hofstra. Your first outing was at UCLA. Do you think that moment was overwhelming?
I went to Hofstra because I was told I was going to get an opportunity to start. So I come in, I fight for it in the fall, and it all works out. I get a starting spot and it just so happens that we’re traveling to UCLA. I think they were the number 2 team in the country to open that year. You welcome that challenge. Looking back on it, it’s surreal to think that I started against UCLA in my freshman year at college.
When did you decide to switch things up and transfer to Old Wesbury?
To pinpoint the exact moment would be tough. I had a lot of fun my sophomore year. It’s probably one of the best times I’ve had on a baseball field. The guys around me, the upperclassmen, the freshmen, a bunch of great players. But after the season, we kind of reevaluated. I had long talks with coach [John Russo]. We’re still great friends to this day. I talk to him on a regular basis. It was just one of those things where I thought it was time for a fresh start. I think it was definitely the right move. People tend to knock Division III. But coming from a Division I school, you have guys from Division II and III schools that can play Division I baseball. It’s definitely not a question of your talent.
Who’s the athlete that you looked up to when you were younger or look up to now?
When I was younger, I actually found myself watching Nolan Ryan highlights a lot. My dad had talked about him and he said that even people today wouldn’t touch him if he was still pitching. I think today, one of the guys I’d look up to would be Marcus Stroman. Just the way he carries himself and how he tries to make the people around him better. It’s something that I try to do, so I think he’s definitely one of the guys I look up to.
