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Prep Notebook Adams sparkles on North diamond By GREG STILES Without bravado or fanfare, out of the limelight and nearly hidden in North Medford's perpetual sea of softball talent, Stephanie Adams has performed at a superior level. It hasn't bothered her. You don't earn first-team all-state honors three years in a row or start three straight state championship games by whim or an accident of history. When Pac-10 and Big Ten schools want you to sign on the dotted line, they don't care if a kid is all-this, all-that or hits .600. Major college programs just care if a player can contribute to their success. Adams isn't a mere nickel-and-dime contributor. Few players in the state can match Adams' combination of hitting for average and power. She's tagged 36 extra-base hits and hit .371 in 280 career at-bats. The 17-year-old North senior signed a letter of intent to play at Oregon State a couple of weeks ago, picking the Beavers over Oregon and Michigan State. Her dedication and determination accounted for her desirability more than the ability to fly around like a gazelle or leap over fences. "For a long time her goal has been to play major college softball," North Medford coach Larry Binney says. "She's going to get that opportunity and a lot of that is because of her tremendous work ethic." Adams' ticket has been taking ground balls when everyone else has gone home and working with her dad, Ernie, when she could have whiled away the time with more frivolous pursuits. "Even before I was in Little League I would go to North Medford clinics," Adams says. "A lot of dads would drop off their girls and take off. My dad was always there. He's there every practice and every game. He's going to miss work or do anything he can for me. He would take notes and then teach me as much of Larry Binney softball as he could." With her senior season ahead, Adams is among the Black Tornado career leaders in 11 offensive categories. Yet having played with the likes of recent graduates Missy Coe, Taysha Anderson, Jill Rutter and Shelley Bruce, she's been just another face in the crowd. "That was kind of how it was when I was growing up, but I didn't give it a second thought," Adams says. "Our team was winning state championships and the coaches and players were telling me I was doing a good job. "I could get all the media attention in the world, but it wouldn't matter as much as my teammates, coaches and family. That's all I need." Binney remembers a time when Adams lacked the athleticism possessed by some of her teammates. "She didn't have very many skills," recalls Binney. "But Steph has always tried to make herself better. She loves to play the game and she's extremely hard working." Adams has been a fixture in an early-morning speed development and weightlifting physical education class. "She's become pretty darn quick and has become a good base runner too," Binney says. "She wasn't real fast before." As she's raised her own competitive bar, she's raised it for others as well. Adams has a chance to join the elite four-time, first-team all-state sorority club next spring, not to mention the possibility of a fourth trip to the finals. You can count the number of four-time, first-team all-staters on a couple of fingers. Nobody outside Churchill's dynasty that produced eight state championships from 1980-92 has made it to the finals four consecutive springs. "I know there are a few kids that have started in four championship games, but it's probably just a half-dozen or so and they all have to be Churchill kids," Binney says. Adams along with teammates Megumi Hacket and Kylie Allen could join those ranks next season. After that, Adams heads off to Corvallis. There was an assumption that she would follow Angie LeRoy, Bruce and Coe to Oregon. Adams was scheduled to stay with Coe when she made her official visit, one she never took. "When I went to Oregon State I got the feeling from the team, coaches and school in general that this is where I belong," Adams says. "After My Oct. 10 visit, my heart was set on Oregon State and I canceled my visit to Oregon. "It was tough, because I loved playing with Missy Coe. I called her and she told me I had to make the decision that was best for me and not anybody else." While there was an emotional struggle between Oregon and OSU, Michigan State was simply too far away. "I wanted Dad to be able to watch me play," Adams says. "He knows how long I've wanted to play Pac-10 softball and worked to get me to that level. I wanted him to be able to watch me." MARCHING ON : Roseburg's late-season revival and Ashland sidestepping Churchill's land mine, gives the Southern Oregon Conference two teams in the Class 4A football quarterfinals. That's more according to the form SOC fans grew accustomed to during the past decade than last year when Ashland and Roseburg both were out of the playoffs by the quarterfinals. (Greg Stiles is a Mail Tribune sports writer. He can be reached at 776-4483.) Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,