This is the type of season that Lake Central senior outfielder Jolie Adams envisioned.
The pieces are coming together for Adams and the Indians, who have been ranked No. 1 in the Class 4A state coaches poll in each of the past two weeks.
“This is the most prepared I’ve been,” Adams said. “This is the most ready we’ve been as a team as a whole together. I trust every single person on the field. I know they’re going to have my back. Whether I have my best game or my worst game, I know they’re going to be there for me.
“This is a special group and a great one to go out on.”
Adams, an Auburn signee considered one of the top recruits in the country, was hitting .364 after Lake Central continued its unbeaten run with a 4-2 win at Duneland Athletic Conference rival Crown Point on Monday.
Adams went 1-for-3 with a run-scoring single in the first inning and a stolen base for the Indians (12-0, 4-0).
“This is the biggest win we’ve had so far,” she said. “During the season, this is one of the games we look forward to every single year. It’s great competition. It was definitely a big team win. We all worked together.”
Sophomore right fielder Lexi Iwema, who hit a home run, said she and Adams work well together in the outfield.
“She’s already great physically, and she’s really helped me mentally,” Iwema said. “I’m not primarily an outfielder. I’ve been a shortstop most of my life, and I pitched last year for varsity, so it was a transition for me in the outfield. She’s really helped me understand where to cut, where to throw. She’s helped me with all of the mental side of stuff. She’s always so positive.”
Lake Central outfielder Jolie Adams chases down the ball during a Duneland Athletic Conference game at Crown Point on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Adams has concentrated on such leadership and mentorship this season.
“My main goal was to get close and get good with my teammates,” she said. “We had a very good freshman pitcher (Maddie Such) come in this year, so I feel I had to get close with her, show her the ropes, just help her out. I can only do so much as a center fielder, but I have to have my pitcher’s back.
“The role I play is a little different than I have before. I pretty much have been prepared for it, waiting for it. I’ve looked at what the seniors gave me my first three years here and took from them and try to lead the best I can for the underclassmen. It’s just get close with your teammates on and off the field. That helps a lot more than you would think. The closer you get off the field, the more you trust them on the field.”
Adams clearly has earned the trust of Lake Central coach Yvette Tovar.
“She’s our captain in the outfield,” Tovar said. “She’s been awesome her three years, and she’s coming into her last year doing as well as ever. I have full confidence in her. The girls have full confidence in her. We’re all just trying to stay humble, play one inning at a time. She’s doing well, and everybody’s doing well.”
Indeed, the Indians have been taking their lofty rankings in stride.
“It fires us up, but we don’t let it get under us too much,” Adams said. “We know every team is giving us their best game, so we bring them our best game every single time no matter what we’re ranked.
“We’re going to take it game by game. But if we keep playing like this, we’re going to go far and do what we want to do.”
Lake Central’s Jolie Adams runs to first base during a Duneland Athletic Conference game at Crown Point on Monday, April 15, 2024. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)
Adams already has come far, bolstered by support from her oldest sister.
“I’ve been with my sister for about 10 years now,” Adams said. “My mom is my legal guardian, but I moved with my sister for better schools, better opportunities. My mom is a single mom with a lot of us. She works. She’s here when she can. She comes to a lot of games. I’ve been with my sister forever. She’s basically my guardian.”
Adams, who has three brothers and two sisters, also lives with her 2-year-old niece and her brother-in-law. Her mother lives in Hammond.
“My sister helped raise me even when we were all living with my mom,” Adams said. “But at the age of 8, my sister kind of took me over. She’s been on my softball journey with me. My sister traveled with me for softball, and then we went from there.”
Adams aims to lead Lake Central to its desired destination in the postseason.
“Our team is very ready this year,” she said. “Everyone’s focused on what the goal is, and we’re ready to work.”
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