So far this offseason, Shady Spring has sent two players to the college baseball ranks.
Now you can make it four players.
Monday evening with family, coaches, friends and teammates in attendance, Colten Tate and Adam Richmond both signed a National Letter of Intent to play college baseball.
Tate will be heading to Southwest Virginia Community College, while Richmond will head north to play for Fairmont State University.
“Four guys have signed from this class. These guys were the bulk of my program for the last three years and we are going to miss them,” Shady Spring head coach Jordan Meadows said. “They have always played together. Colten’s dad coached them in travel ball growing up. He kept them together and those guys really worked.”
While the two longtime friends will be going different directions in less than a month, both were excited to share the signing day together, along with their families.
“It is really cool because we have played together since Pony League and travel teams and have never really been split up,” Richmond said. “He has been my throwing partner forever.”
For Tate, going to Southwest Virginia Community College is a big opportunity to not only play baseball, but also to make a big step in the game of life.
“I went to (the Academy of Careers and Technology Vocational School) over in Beckley to become a journeyman electrician,” Tate said “I am going to (college) for electrical systems engineering, so I can go further. That way I can do way more (types) of work, and I get to play baseball.”
Throughout his baseball career, Tate has been a grinder and a hard worker according to his coach.
“Colten Tate was always the first one at “The Yard” (a baseball training center),” Meadows said. “He was a three year starter and really grinded his sophomore year to get better. His junior season we moved him around all through the line-up, but he had the biggest hit in my coaching career which was the home run against Independence in the sectional championship.”
“Colten is a guy with a lot of energy and he loves Shady baseball. I love coaching him and I love his family. He will bring energy to Southwest from day one.”
The offer from Fairmont was an ideal one for Richmond for a couple of different reasons. The biggest reason was the Falcons also offering another longtime teammate, Cameron Manns.
“One of my biggest factors about going there was Cameron going there,” Richmond said. “I love playing with him and we have been playing together for so long. It felt good to have another opportunity to play together.”
Ironically it was a visit from the Fairmont coaches to see Manns pitch that allowed them to get a glimpse of what Richmond had to offer on the diamond.
“The first time they every saw me was the PikeView game in regionals and they were there to see Cam,” Richmond explained. “I walked three times that game and just ran the bases like crazy. I guess that stuck out. They also mentioned my physical presence also kind of stuck out.”
No doubt Meadows liked seeing his big gun hit the ball, but he also appreciated his plate discipline just as much.
“He didn’t really like the .600 on-base percentage because there were a lot of walks, but I was all for it because he could steal bases and stuff like that,” Meadows said. “He is an exciting player and has a high baseball IQ on the base paths.”
While he was blessed with size, it was an insult early in his high school career that lit a fire under Richmond and motivated him to be the player he is today.
“In 10th grade I was called fat once and I was a gym rat after that which kind of helps,” Richmond said. “I also lifted for football and played football each year except my junior year.”
After playing first base in high school, Richmond will likely make the jump to the outfield for college.
“They told me straight up that I would be playing out field. I have a little bit of speed, so I am fine with that,” Richmond said. “I played outfield some in summer ball and I did really good.”
Both standouts only played high school baseball for three years after losing their freshman year to the Covid shutdown. However, during the time wearing the Shady Spring uniform, both players helped lead the Tigers to two regional titles and a a pair of state tournament berths.
Tate is convinced that those experiences on the baseball field will help both players succeed on the future roads they travel.
“I wish we could have gone a little further and maybe won states, but we are all happy that we made it that far,” Tate said. “I just want to be successful and continue to climb the ladder. In sports, you have a job to do. People depended on you to do your part in order for the team to be successful.”
