Adam Posey, a 2010 graduate of Poquoson High School, recently concluded a stellar baseball career with Eastern Mennonite University by being named to the All-ODAC (Old Dominion Athletic Conference) first team.
For Posey, his conference selection culminated one of the finest offensive seasons in EMU program history. For the year, the former Islander standout batted .424 with 41 runs, 23 RBI’s and nine stolen bases from the leadoff position while leading the Royals to its third 20-win campaign in school history, and first winning record since 2002. His 72 hits for the season led all Division III hitters and tied the EMU school record.
Ironically, Posey started his collegiate career exclusively as a pitcher, only moving off the mound to become an everyday player after Ben Spotts was hired as the Royal manager prior to his junior season. Even in the field, Posey displayed amazing versatility, playing numerous positions, but mostly first base and the outfield.
Spotts has been credited with the turnaround of the Royals program, often telling his players to “take pride in being a Royal – you chose to come here.”
But Posey also credits his improvement as a two-way player from “understanding myself better and using that to approach the game with more confidence.”
Even after expanding his on-field duties, pitching remained a strong part of Posey’s diamond repertoire, In 2014, he was EMU’s ace on the hill, finishing 4-4 with a 4.57 ERA in 65 innings pitched. Most impressively, he compiled an astounding 14.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio notching 56 strikeouts against a mere four walks, which was fourth in the nation and best among hurlers with more than 41 innings pitched.
Off the field, Posey was invaluable to the Eastern Mennonite community. He wrote for the campus newspaper, the Weather Vane, and led a Bible study for the baseball team. He also worked with the Miracle League, an organized youth baseball league for mentally and physically challenged athletes, and played for the Niagara Power, a New York based summer league team, which was sponsored by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
The last four years have helped Posey prepare for the next level of life. At 5’10” and a shade over 150 pounds, he might be too slight to pitch as a major leaguer, so he is ready to attack the future in other ways, saying, “I’m equipped for so many things in life because I have been a student-athlete at Eastern Mennonite University.”
A communications major, Posey’s writing career will continue this fall as he serves an internship with the sports department at the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg.
Coaching is also in Posey’s plans. “I’m planning on staying with Coach Spotts’ staff and helping here at EMU. I’ve already been involved with recruiting.”
His efforts as a student-athlete did not go unnoticed. At the most recent athletic banquet, Posey was presented with the President’s Award, the highest honor given by the EMU Athletic department to one male and one female senior athlete.
Speaking of the award, Posey reflected on his past.
“(Early on) I struggled at EMU and looked at transferring. Winning the award was an emotional moment for (me). But the award was something more for the people around me.”
Asked about the key to his well-roundedness, Posey cited a lesson learned from playing college sports.
“It’s a struggle to play nine innings at Southern Virginia on a Wednesday evening and be in my 8:00 AM class the next day, but I know that as an athlete, more eyes are on me. I have learned discipline, prioritizing and balance.”
These traits also served Posey well in high school. At Poquoson, he transformed from a utility player on the 2009 AA State champion squad, to become a key cog for the team on the mound during the Islanders 2010 title defense march. Despite having better known teammates, such as Kyle Crockett (U. VA, Cleveland Indians AA affiliate Akron Aeros), Chad Pinder (VA Tech, Oakland A’s A-plus affiliate Stockton) and Tee McConnell (Marshall U.), Posey sported a 6-0 pitching record for the season and recorded a three-hit shutout during the state semifinals against Fort Defiance.
In a closing thought, Posey acknowledged the support he has received from home.
“The people of Poquoson have followed me along the way and supported me, and my parents and grandparents have been my biggest fans. So I felt like (the President’s award) was something I could share with them.”
There were a bunch of guys with more than 72 hits in D-III this year.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. Maybe the stat went by hits per game. EMU played less than 40.
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