St. Joseph-Ogden baseball player Adam Rose loves the atmosphere of a baseball field when fans are cheering on their favorite team.
He will get to continue to enjoy that atmosphere at Lincoln Land Community College next year where he will continue his athletic and academic career.
“I loved how I am able to stay fairly close to home, but I also have family all over the Springfield area, so if I ever need someone, they are just a phone call away,” Rose said.
The All-Area Special Mention pitcher and first baseman had 25 stolen bases in 2018 and 27 RBIs. He had an ERA of `1.72 and pitched 61 innings.
Rose said he is excited for the college experience, to meet new people and to have new opportunities.
“I am also excited to be able to compete at the college level because the people I will be playing against have the same dream that I have had since I was a kid: to play college baseball,” he said.
The search for the perfect school started for Rose with much larger schools but eventually, Lincoln Land stood out.
“At the beginning I wanted to go to a really big school, but as the choices narrowed down, so did the size of school and Lincoln Land was the right fit for me academically, athletically, and socially,” he said.
Rose said he is sure his high school experience has prepared him for college.
“We have some of the best teachers and coaches that any high school could ask for,” Rose said. “The academic rigor will prepare me for a college workload and the competitive spirit will prepare me to compete against other elite, college athletes.”
Even though Rose is excited about college, he is focusing on the upcoming SJO baseball season.
“The goal is always to get back to Peoria for the state finals, but for my senior year I really want our team to win it and for our class to go out with a bang,” he said.
