Sophomores don’t often start on the varsity baseball team, so for Adam Ledbetter, this is his chance to prove himself. 

Ledbetter has been playing baseball since he was 3 years old. 

“I started playing T-ball from ages 3 to 5,” he said. “After that I began to work in-house and join a travel team.” 

Ledbetter didn’t join a club team until he was 11 years old. But his love for the sport started and grew well before that. 

“It is just something I’ve always been passionate about, and the tournaments and championship games that we have played for travel – when I was younger that helped grow my love for baseball too,” he said. 

The person he look up to the most is his former baseball coach, who also happens to be his father. 

“I started playing and he was my coach, and I was proud to be able to play with him. He pushed me to outwork everyone else and made me work just to get better,” Ledbetter said. 

His father played baseball in high school and college. 

“He played in a men’s league too into his 20s and even early 30s,” Ledbetter said. 

Ledbetter said that playing for varsity brings out many different emotions for him. 

“It is nerve-wracking, but fun at the same time,” Ledbetter said. “Competition is always good and I can learn from other people on the team. It’s nerve-wracking because I am playing with kids who are older than me and I want to be able to compete. Being on varsity now helps me work hard and be better than my other opponents.” 

Ledbetter said one favorite game this season came during the Myrtle tournament the team played in Myrtle. 

“We played at night against a really good team, and we came back from being down 3-1,” he said. “Personally my favorite moment was hitting the game-winning home run against Hempfield.” 

Ledbetter also said that while he doesn’t pay attention to any specific teams in the MLB, his favorite player is Ronald Acuna Jr. 

“I just love the way he plays and how he acts off the field. He gives it his all and his all is really good, and he goes to hospitals and meets with the sick kids,” he said. 

Junior teammate Christian Forgacs really enjoys playing with Ledbetter and said he is fun to hang around with.

“He’s a great teammate in the dugout,” he said. “He is a good guy to be around on and off the field.”

Forgacs thinks Ledbetter really helps the team morale when he is up to bat.

“He creates a lot of energy in his at bats,” he said. “He produces hits when we need them most and is able to take lengthy at bats.”

Forgacs sees a lot of potential in Ledbetter.

“He is going to be a top player in the section,” he said. “I am very excited to see how great he will be.”