Wilks commits to USM
Since he was a kid, Columbia Academy outfielder Slade Wilks has made his presence felt on the baseball diamond from smashing windshields at Dean Griner to being a driving force in Columbia Academy’s MAIS AAA State Championship as a freshman.
Wilks, now a 6-foot-2, 210-pound sophomore, already has his future mapped out as he verbally committed to play baseball at Southern Miss Sunday evening.
“It was a dream come true. It was probably one of the happiest days for me ever,” he said. “I was really excited; I know my whole family was excited. I’ve been receiving congratulatory texts from everybody for a few days.”
Wilks had a monster freshman season for the Cougars, batting .402 with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, 50 runs scored and a 1.440 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), which opened the eyes of college scouts throughout the South. But it was his performance in recent months that sealed the deal for Wilks.
“I went on a visit about a month ago, and then I was playing in a fall league over there and playing really well in the fall league,” he explained. “Before the last Sunday game, that Saturday they called me, told me they were offering me and told me stuff about the program. I knew that’s where I wanted to go so Sunday I told them I wanted to be a Golden Eagle.”
While he wasn’t dwelling on whether or not he would get an offer from USM, Wilks is glad to have his future lined up.
“It is a relief. I wasn’t ever real worried about it, but it was always in the back of my mind,” he said. “Knowing all the colleges being in the stands, you pay more attention and just play the game.”
Being a 16-year-old sophomore who has already committed to his dream school may seem like success has been easy to come by for Wilks, but he has gone through far more than most athletes his age. Wilks tore his left ACL in September 2014, had meniscus surgery on that same knee shortly after then tore his right ACL in August 2016.
But it only took Wilks six months to get back on the field following his ACL surgery in his right knee, and he has soared in the seven months since returning to the field.
“Everything is looking up right now. It’s pretty nice. It started off rough, but this is where I wanted to be now,” he said. “If you asked me if I was going to be committing to Southern Miss as a freshman, I would have said that it’s the goal, but it probably wasn’t going to happen since I had knee surgery. It’s something really to be proud of.”
Wilks has been far from alone in his journey to earn a scholarship and knows his family and friends are as deserving of praise as is his ability to mash at the plate.
“It meant a lot to them because they’ve put a lot of time into me. They’ve helped to do whatever they could and were there for me whenever I was down,” he said. “In a way, they’re a part of it too. They’ve been there for me all the time and have done whatever they could to help me in any way.”
During the summer, Wilks helped lead the East Coast Sox Select to the 2017 WWBA 2020 Grads or 15u National Championship by hitting .440 with three home runs and 12 RBI against some of the elite talent the United States has to offer.
While private school leagues tend to give scouts pause, Wilks proved to himself and college coaches that he can compete with anyone.
“It showed me that whether it’s public or private that I can play with anybody,” Wilks said. “It makes the private school league look better than most people think.”
Columbia Academy head coach Heath Smith said it’s rewarding to see Wilks’ hard work pay off.
“I’m excited for Slade to have this opportunity. He has displayed great character by working through adversity the last few years with injuries and being a key contributor at a young age for our baseball program,” he said. “It is a good feeling to see him be rewarded for his work ethic, and we look for it to carry over for him to develop as one of our team leaders this year.”
While he already has accomplished more than most high school athletes do throughout their four years, Wilks still has one firm goal in mind.
“I want to win state at least one more time before we get out of high school,” he said. “People think it’s going to be a growing year this year, but I think we’re just going to reload.”
Wilks excelled at football and basketball in addition to his prominence on the diamond, but his success and injury history has made him make a tough decision to focus solely on baseball.
“It’s tough on me; it really is. But now, it’s just a no-brainer.”
With three years left to show off his smooth, southpaw stroke at the plate, more big-time programs could come a calling, but Wilks already knows where he belongs — at Southern Miss.
“It’s where I wanted to go and that’s where I’m going.”
Pictured Above: Following his record-breaking freshman season for the state champion Cougars, Wilks committed to USM. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
