Lancer's monster numbers make him county's best

His coach calls him a perfectionist. And Seminole Presbyterian's Adam Rogers almost took it literally.

By MIKE READLING

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 30, 2000

TAMPA -- Adam Rogers' numbers resemble statistics of some slow-pitch church league softball season -- only better.

Sixty-four RBI, .723 average, 21 doubles and 5 strikeouts in 87 at-bats.

Including his 25 walks (eight intentional), Rogers reached base 88 of the 112 times he came to the plate for Seminole Presbyterian this season.

To put that in perspective, imagine jumping into a batting cage and connecting on 72 percent of the pitches you deem good enough to swing at. Now imagine hitting those where the other team isn't standing. That was Rogers' season.

And that is just one of the reasons Rogers, who also compiled an 8-5 record with a 0.94 ERA and 56 strikeouts, is the Times Hillsborough County Baseball Player of the Year.

"His work ethic is 10 times better than anybody his age," Lancers coach J.J. Pizzio said. "He wants to be better than everybody, and he will put in the work he needs to get to that point."

That explains why Rogers, who was voted the state Class A player of the year, and his bat bag are virtually inseparable. Each day when the final bell rings, he walks out behind the school to hit balls off of a tee, take batting practice and hit soft toss.

A year after transferring from Blake, where he hit close to .350, Rogers found a new love for the game as well as a new understanding. Both of those elements factored into the mind-boggling numbers he put up this season.

"I knew the numbers were going to change when I came here, but I didn't think they were going to go that high," Rogers said. "It's not that different playing Class A and Class 4A baseball. The competition is there. It's just a different type of game. Up there, it's more of a long-ball game. Down here, it's more fundamentals. Single, steal, bunt. It's more fun."

Pizzio has a different take.

"He's more confident and comfortable this season," he said. "In turn, that has helped him become a more fundamentally sound baseball player. He had the physical talent when he got here, but when a kid is as smart as him, sometimes you have to explain things verbally. I don't think he ever had a coach break it down to him that way."

Despite the fact his slugging percentage, 1.250, is higher than his SAT score (1150), Rogers is more than just a great baseball player.

He is an active member in his church, has a major part in Seminole Presbyterian's performance of Annie Get Your Gun and carries a 4.5 grade point average. "He's a pleaser. He will do anything he can to please somebody, whether it's his coaches, parents, teachers or family," Pizzio said. "He doesn't stop working no matter what he's doing. I often think he's thinking about schoolwork when he's on the field just because he can. He expects perfection. He's a perfectionist at everything."

An example of that is one of the few times Rogers didn't reach base. "The five times he did strike out, you would have thought the world was over," Pizzio said. "But then he would just go back out there and strike out the next three guys and he was ready to go again."

That intensity is matched only by his patience at the plate and the understanding of the fundamentals of the game. The junior has retooled his swing to where he keeps his hands back and strokes the ball to the right side of the field. All four of his home runs were to rightfield as were all 21 doubles and nine triples.

"When you can get a kid to look for pitches to hit, he will become a great fundamental player," Pizzio said.

"He has matured enough as a player to where he can pick out which pitches he wants to hit."

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