April 2, 2007

By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com

He's creepy and he's kooky. Mysterious and spooky. He's all together ooky. He's Southern Illinois University sophomore RHP Cody Adams.

Opposing hitters are finding out that facing Adams can be a rather frightening experience.

After making six starts and 21 relief appearances as a freshman, Adams is a force to reckon with as the Dawgs' pivotal game two starter this season.

Adams began the year as one of three pitchers in the country undefeated through his first seven starts. There's nothing flashy about him. He just pitches with a refuse-to-lose mentality.

"Cody competes, works hard and doesn't care what's on the front of a jersey or who's at the plate," said first-year Saluki pitching coach Tim Dixon. "He has a ton of confidence in his ability and never lets the game get too quick for him."

Adams, while becoming more and more effective with his off-speed pitches, has scouts flocking to Carbondale to check out his nasty fastball that was clocked at 96 miles per hour in the eighth inning of a complete game victory against Illinois State (3/24).

"He's learned how to pitch and stay under control," said Dixon. "His fastball is why he's been so successful. He'll throw anywhere from 86-96 with a ridiculous amount of sink."

Adams hails from Viola, Ill., a town of approximately 900 located south of the Quad Cities.

It's not necessarily a baseball hotbed, and how he ended up at Southern is unique in itself.

Adams was dating former Saluki baseball player John Hoscheidt's (1974-76) daughter at the time he became interested in SIU.

"John is very active in local sports up there and always kept us in the loop as far as Cody's progress," said SIU head coach Dan Callahan.

Iowa, Illinois-Chicago, Bradley, Illinois and Stanford were also recruiting Adams, but he says he was sold on the Salukis the moment he set foot on campus.

"When I visited SIU, I knew right away it was the right fit for me," said Adams. "I wanted an opportunity to come in and contribute immediately, and Southern had that to offer."

Adams began his college career in the Salukis' starting rotation, but was later moved to the bullpen, where he finished out the year.

He capped his rookie season with a 4-4 record, 4.70 ERA, one save and 32 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.

Adams says last year's move to the pen motivated him to work even harder.

"I was disappointed and thought of it as more of a demotion at first," said Adams. "But, I knew it was best for the team."

Another way to put it is that he entered the 2007 season with a chip on his shoulder.

"I view being a starter as a privilege," said Adams. "I want to work as hard as I can to keep my job in the starting rotation."

If Adams keeps pitching the way he's been pitching, there will be no reason to think otherwise.

Adams is currently 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA. He leads the Missouri Valley Conference in wins and ranks second in innings pitched (50.2). He also owns a 3.15 (41:13) strikeout-to-walk ration, as his 41 Ks are tops on the Saluki staff.

So, what's been the biggest difference for Adams in 2007?

"I didn't have much off-speed stuff last year," he said. "This year I'm developing a third and fourth pitch and am pitching with a lot more confidence."

If Adams can throw his other pitches as well as he does his fastball, he should be a hot commodity come draft time a year from now.

"Cody is so special," said Dixon. "He has the most potential of anyone I've ever coached. I can see him being a high draft pick."

While a fierce competitor on the field, Adams is more of a reserved and laid back kind of guy off of it. He is also known for having a great sense of humor.

"Respectfully, I think Cody's teammates would describe him as a clown," said Dixon. "He is so funny and has such a great personality."

In other words, he really is a screa-um and you should come and see him.