Orange Observer: Sports Spotlight — Adonis Stewart

A first-year member of the Legacy Charter High baseball team, Adonis Stewart started off on the right foot for the Eagles — leading his team in batting average. Stewart also dominated on the mound, holding a 1.91 ERA and 1-0 record before the season ended early. 

How did you first get into baseball?

I was 6 years old when I first got into baseball. My dad actually got me a baseball glove, a bat and a couple of balls, and he started throwing with me. I really liked it, so I started T-ball.
 

How was your first year at Legacy?

It was great — it was honestly one of the best times I’ve had ever playing baseball.
 

What is it like starting for a new team?

It wasn’t too bad. I wasn’t too nervous, because I ended up knowing most of them. It wasn’t too bad, because I didn’t really do much on the other baseball team (Apopka).
 

It was a shortened season because of the coronavirus, but were there any highlight moments for you?

I hit a home run — that was my first one ever out of the park. I got 10 or 12 strikeouts against CFCA, but that was before the actual season started — it was in a preseason tournament. In the game I hit the home run, I nearly hit for the cycle, because coach Chambless sent me home when I could have been kept at third. … It would have given me a cycle, so that was pretty cool.
 

What are the best words of advice you’ve received about baseball?

I guess I would say someone told me to just keep going — don’t stop because of one thing or one person. Just because you get mad, that doesn’t mean that has to bring down your whole game, and have a short memory so that you don’t ruin your game for the rest of the game. I didn’t used to have the best attitude, and I’d get mad really quickly, and it would ruin the rest of the game for me.
 

You were a key component at the plate and on the mound for the Eagles. What did it take for you to get to where you are now?

Mainly coach Rich — he is our hitting coach — he really helped me a lot with hitting, and it’s also getting your own work in and not just at practice. Like one of my coaches said, “Stand in a mirror and swing, or swing while you watch TV,” and stuff like that.
 

What is your favorite thing about playing third base?

I really like playing the position because you don’t have much time to think about what you need to do to get the ball, so you can just react quick. You can actually make some pretty cool plays, because it’s a pretty far throw. 
 

What is the most challenging part about playing baseball?

Definitely the speed of the game and how fast everything happens. You have to really take it all in and know what’s happening, because if you don’t you’re not going to be able to play basically. You have the slow the game down in your mind.