Player of the Week : Lancers’ Schicker Is Catching Up on Lost Time

Sunny Hills High School catcher Adrian Schicker loves baseball. He has endured rejection, criticism and humiliation to play the game. And it appears his perseverance is paying off.

This season the 5-foot 10-inch, 180-pound senior is hitting .528 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs. In three Freeway League games in the last nine days, Schicker has hit .714 with 7 RBIs, including a grand slam in a 15-14 Lancer victory over Sonora and a two-run homer in Sunny Hills’ 5-4 win over Troy. He has been named The Times Player of the Week for his outstanding performances.

With Schicker leading the way, the No. 8 Lancers are 3-0 in league, 10-2 overall.

When Schicker was a freshman he didn’t play baseball because he failed to make the junior varsity team. Sunny Hills doesn’t have a freshman or sophomore team.

“It was the very first cut,” Schicker said. “I didn’t get much of a chance to prove myself. They just looked at my size and let me go.”

Snap judgments were something Schicker has gotten used to, particularly when you’re a few pounds overweight. When Schicker was cut from the team he was 5-7 and close to 170 pounds.

“They looked at my weight and they didn’t think I’d have enough quickness behind the plate,” he said.

The stigma began when Schicker entered Little League. He was immediately put behind the plate.

“I had always been a catcher I really wanted to stay one,” Schicker said. “I knew I’d have to improve my quickness and lose some weight. I started to lift weights and I put myself on a diet.”

Schicker lifted everyday. He lost weight and gained quickness that by his sophomore year he made the junior varsity squad. But his debut was something of a flop; with limited playing time, Schicker hit around .200.

With less than a storied past it came as a surprise he not only made the varsity but a few games into the season had won the starting catcher’s job as a junior. But he really shocked Sunny Hills coaches when became one of Orange County top five hitters with a .452 average. He was named first team all-Freeway League.

Though he’s hitting well again this season, and with more power--he didn’t have a home run last season--Schicker says he’s happiest about his performance behind the plate.

“I come out early to practice to have the coaches throw balls in the dirt for me to block,” he said. “I’d take extra batting practice and ran a lot. It was something I just wanted to get better. I made up my mind no matter how much work that I would.”