GREENFIELD — The bar was set high when Adam Hutchison was a freshman.
He knew it then, and he knows it now. Ever since sharing the field with Drey Jameson, who was recently drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft, Hutchison had a specific goal in mind.
He saw Jameson be the best in 2017. He wanted to follow suit.
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“My freshman year, he was the leader. He was the man that you could count on. I wanted to be like him,” Hutchison said. “I knew he was going to go big places. You just knew. He set the bar my freshman year, and I’m just trying to go up one above him. Everyone counted on him. Everyone did.”
It only took two years, but Hutchison has now followed in Jameson’s shoes, being named the 2019 Hancock County Baseball Player of the Year.
“When I was playing, I didn’t really think of anything. I was just trying to be there for my team and help us win,” Hutchison said. “Once it started getting down toward the end of the season, I started to wonder if I might be Player of the Year.”
“I was just excited. I know that we have a lot of good competition in this county … I couldn’t believe it.”
Hutchison was a dominant force on the mound, leading the county in ERA (1.12), strikeouts (86) and wins (8).
He wasn’t bad at the plate, either, tying for the county lead in RBIs (25) and the conference lead in home runs (4). He was happy with his year overall, especially on the mound. His batting average is something he wasn’t thrilled with, though, at just a .247.
“I’m happy with my pitching, but hitting, I delivered big hits but I’m not that happy with my hitting performance this year,” he said. “All I need to do is work on it, improve at it.”
When the Cougars needed a win, when they needed a big game, they turned to Hutchison. He was the Game One starter for Friday doubleheaders, helping lead the Cougars to sole possession of the Hoosier Heritage Conference championship.
He was the starter in a sectional-opening win against Mt. Vernon, then came on to close out Richmond in the sectional championship game.
He took the mound against Cathedral in the regional semifinal, throwing a complete game and leading the Cougars into the regional championship game, where their season finally came to an end against Avon.
“Vital is a really good way to describe it,” Greenfield-Central coach Mark Vail said of Hutchison’s impact. “There are a lot of really good players in our county and in our conference. To have the confidence that he could come in and compete and shut most people down was very comforting.”
In a must-win conference game against Pendleton Heights, Hutchison threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just two hits while striking out 10.
Against Shelbyville, with the conference title on the line, he struck out eight in six innings, allowing just one run and helping his steam clinch the HHC.
The biggest games, though, came in the tournament, none more so than the regional semifinal against a familiar foe.
As a freshman two years ago, Hutchison came into a 0-0 game in the eighth against Cathedral in the regional semifinal. Jameson had pitched a gem, but the Irish managed to get a run across against Hutchison and eliminate the Cougars.
He was excited to get the opportunity at payback this spring. He again threw a complete-game, this time striking out 11 while hitting 120 pitches exactly.
“Once we knew we were playing Cathedral, everyone was excited. We wanted to beat them because of what happened my freshman year,” Hutchison said. “My mindset, I wasn’t even talking to anyone or anything. I was just focused, because I wanted to beat them so bad. I wanted my revenge from freshman year. I’m just glad I got to do it.”
Despite the devastating loss his freshman year, Hutchison wasn’t nervous heading into the rematch with Cathedral.
He doesn’t really get nervous. He doesn’t really feel pressure.
“I don’t feel any pressure. I’m 100 percent confident in what I can do,” he said. “I know what I can do, and my team knows what I can do, coaches know what I can do. I’m just confident.”
That confidence translates over to his team and his coaches. After winning the sectional, several members of the Cougars commented that they knew they could beat Cathedral because “we have Adam on the mound.”
The coaching staff feels the same level of confidence every time his turn in the pitching rotation comes around. The Cougars were driven by strong pitching this season — Brady Mundell and Bradley McDowell both are honorable mention all-county players — but Hutchison took things to another level.
“It takes a huge load off of a coach to know that you have strong pitching,” Vail said. “Any coach will tell you that if you strong pitching, it takes a lot of worry out of it. We had three kids that threw really well, but to have Adam … you knew you were going to be able to be in the game every time he was on the mound.”
Even though he has another year of high school left, Hutchison knows what the future holds. He committed to Lincoln Trail in Robertson, Illinois during his junior year. He is expected to be a two-way player, pitching and playing first base, just as he does with Greenfield-Central.
He has big goals for his last year of high school and his time in college. He’s had his eyes on the major leagues since he was young.
The 6-foot-3-inch junior hit 86 miles an hour on his fastball in the sectional and sits around 84 or 85. He throws a 4-seam fastball, a curveball and a changeup. He’s a strikeout machine, and he hopes to take that skill set to the next level.
“That’s always been my goal since I was seven or eight,” Hutchison said. “I knew I had something special, and I always wanted to be at the top and compete with the big boys.”
First, though, there is more business to attend to at Greenfield-Central. While he was happy with the success the team had this year, he wants more.
He’s played in two regionals in his first three years with the Cougars. He wants to take that next step in his final season while trying to defend his Player of the Year honor.
“Some of the goals are to keep pushing the team to get better and win more,” Hutchison said. “The goal is to win conference again, win sectionals again and win regional. We’ve been there two times and we haven’t gotten it. We want the regional.”
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To see who joins Greenfield-Central junior Adam Hutchison on the all-county baseball team, jump inside to Page BX.
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Adam Hutchison found himself at the top of the leaderboards in multiple categories this year, leading the county on his way to earning Player of the Year honors.
Wins;8;1st
ERA;1.12;1st
Strikeouts;86;1st
Innings;62.1;1st
Batting avg.;.247;23rd
Runs scored;19;7th
RBI;25;1st
HR;4;1st
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