There were two roads in front of Josh Adamczewski.
Once the 2023 Lake Central graduate gave it some thought, though, there was only one way for him to go.
“With the pro route, you go and play baseball for a living, and you get paid to do it,” he said. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If I passed that up and it never came around again, I’d beat myself up for the rest of my life.”
That’s how Adamczewski, a 6-foot shortstop who was picked in the 15th round of the MLB draft by the Milwaukee Brewers on July 11, finally landed on the decision to choose a professional baseball career over a college career at Ball State. He signed Tuesday — deadline day.
Adamczewski landed on draft radars during his final season at Lake Central. He hit .473 and led the regional champion Indians with 56 RBIs, 55 runs scored, 35 walks, nine home runs, six triples and a .632 on-base percentage.
Adamczewski’s life became increasingly hectic about a month after his high school career ended, and the euphoria he felt when he was drafted wore off about 24 hours later — once his phone started ringing nonstop.
“It was very cool for the first day, and then it just got very stressful,” he said. “I’ve had phone calls from all hours of the day. I’ve been on the phone in the last week for the most time that I’ve ever been on the phone.”
But Adamczewski wasn’t even sure he’d get that initial phone call. He described his conversation with members of the Brewers’ front office on the night before the draft as “a little shaky.”
“I didn’t know if I’d screwed up my chances or not, but then it ended up happening,” he said.
Brewers area scout Ginger Poulson made the initial call to Adamczewski, who had been following the draft with his family.
“I was just in shock,” he said. “I couldn’t move. My family was super excited, and then I got a ton of calls and texts. It was surreal and very cool to experience.”
Adamczewski had spent last weekend in Milwaukee, where he received his first taste of life in professional baseball. Soon after signing, he was invited to take a batting practice session at American Family Field, the Brewers’ stadium.
Several Brewers players were hanging around the cages as Adamczewski hit, and he found time to speak with 2018 National League MVP Christian Yelich and former All-Star Jesse Winker, a pair of former first-round picks who turned pro after graduating from high school.
“I had a great experience in Milwaukee,” Adamczewski said. “They each gave me some good tips.”
On Sunday, he’ll travel to Arizona, where he’ll play in the Arizona Complex League, the first step on the ladder for players who were just drafted.
“It’s coming up quick,” he said. “I only have a few days left here, and I’m kind of stressed out, trying to pack and seeing everybody else before I go.”
Lake Central coach Mike Swartzentruber doesn’t think Adamczewski will have any difficulty acclimating to professional baseball.
“He’s pretty mature for his years,” Swartzentruber said. “When you reflect back on his time in our program, he was at everything. Attendance was never an issue, whether it was early in the morning or late at night, and he always showed up on time. Those kinds of things are going to be important for his next steps.”
Once Adamczewski gets to Arizona, he knows he’ll be realizing the dreams he has had since he started playing baseball.
“It’s always just came natural to me, and I always knew that I wanted to be a professional baseball player,” he said. “It’s just a dream come true.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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