Columbia Academy senior Slade Wilks got to showcase his skills on the national stage Monday afternoon as the slugger was one of the top 40 players in the nation to play in the Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field.
Wilks said the experience of playing at the historic ballpark and on national television was truly incredible.
“To think about all of the cool people who stood in the same batter’s box as me, that was incredible. Babe Ruth hit in that same batter’s box that I was in,” he said.
The game was broadcast live on MLB Network, and Wilks made the most of his two plate appearances while starting in right field and batting seventh in the order. In his first at-bat, he fouled off a 92 mile-per-hour fastball back into the screen on the first pitch he saw before rolling over an 80 mph off-speed pitch to first base. Wilks legged out an infield single, though, as the pitcher missed the bag after having to rush with Wilks hauling down the line. He then proceeded to steal both second and third bases but was stranded in scoring position.
Wilks said he wanted to be aggressive and didn’t want to watch pitches on national TV. The strategy paid off as he was one of just four starters on either team not to strike out. Wilks admitted, though, there were some nerves when he took the field, but his aggression helped it subside.
“I was pretty nervous; I’m not going to lie. But once I started throwing and stuff I wasn’t,” he said. “But when I first stepped onto the field I was like, ‘Holy smokes. This is Wrigley Field, and I’m about to play a game.’ My first at-bat I was kind of nervous, but it got better,” he said.
Wilks didn’t get back into the batter’s box until the eighth inning when he came up with runners on second and third with one out. He worked his way into a full count and fouled off four pitches before being plunked in the knee by a 93 mph fastball, but he showed no signs of being hurt even though it stung.
“Ninety-three to the leg never feels good. I was on TV and I knew a bunch of people from Columbia were watching, so I had to act all hard,” he said jokingly.
During Wilks’ second plate appearance, announcers Stephen Nelson and Jim Callis lauded his arm in the outfield and power to all fields, saying his arm drew oohs and ahs from the crowd during Sunday’s workout at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound outfielder was coached by former Baltimore Oriole Bill Ripken on the American team, while the National team was coached by Sean Casey, former Cincinnati Red, and both coaches addressed the players.
“I watch them all the time on MLB Network and to hear them talk about it and share some stories with us was pretty cool,” he said. “They shared their experiences about how the game was for them and how to not let the game overwhelm you.”
The Southern Miss commit said one of his favorite parts of the experience was signing autographs for young kids. Under Armour made the All-Americans their own baseball cards that they handed out and signed for children in attendance.
Wilks’ American squad lost 4-3 to the National team.
The CA star will get another chance to show off his talent during the Perfect Game All-American Classic Aug. 1 at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, which will also be broadcast live on MLB Network.
Wilks said having already played at a big-league stadium on TV will help with the nerves in California, and he’s looking forward to the experience.
Wilks said there’s still a lot of areas of his game he needs to work on, and he believes if he works hard he can become the top player in the 2020 class. He added he just needs to stay humble and keep working.
