Columbia Academy’s Slade Wilks has been a force in the Cougars lineup since he was an eighth-grader, but he took it to another level this season earning The Columbian-Progress’s 2018 Marion County Offensive Player of the Year.
“There’s a lot of really talented hitters and players in general in Marion County, so it’s a very big deal I’d have to say,” he said. “I’m honored to be selected.”
Despite not having the same type of protection in the lineup as he did for the 2017 state championship team when he hit .402 with 14 home runs, 48 RBI, 50 runs scored and five stolen bases, Wilks did far more with less opportunity in 2018.
The sophomore walked 44 times in 33 games and consistently pitched around as the most-feared hitter in the state, yet still managed to hit .560 with 15 home runs, 37 RBI, 49 runs scored and 20 stolen bases. Former CA coach Heath Smith said Wilks did everything he needed to take advantage of the few hitter pitches he saw.
“Mainly just his preparation, work ethic and mental toughness allowed him to keep producing. He wouldn’t get frustrated when teams intentionally walked him or pitched around him,” he said. “The hard work and desire to be great is definitely there for him. He uses that confidence to keep building and doesn’t let the highs get too high or the lows get too low.”
Wilks said it came down to his mindset going into each pitch.
“What I was focusing on the whole time was telling myself, ‘Don’t miss that one pitch. You have to make it count,’” he said. “I was able to do that successfully, and it all worked out. I was just looking for something flat and tried to make it count.”
His freshman season was one for the ages, but Wilks refused to rest on previous accomplishments and instead found small areas to improve in that paid big dividends.
“Mainly I was just trying to keep my power up while striking out a lot less. I dropped my strikeouts from 27 as a freshman to six as a sophomore, so that was a good jump for me,” he said. “My average went up because of that. I tried to hit more the other way as well, and I hit more opposite-field home runs and doubles this year than I have really ever.”
Smith described Wilks’ offensive presence in two words: Fierce and dominant. Opposing teams might want to add relentless as any intentional walk will likely put Wilks in scoring position in a hurry.
“Teams going forward are going to have a tough time pitching around him,” Smith said. “He led our team in stolen bases this year, and in the last two weeks he’s ran 60s (60-yard dash) in front of scouts and ran 6.8 so his speed is going to be there to create havoc even when teams don’t pitch to him.”
Smith added in all his years around the game he has never seen all the present tools Wilks possesses in one package.
“It’s a coach’s dream to coach somebody like that. You try to compare it to the average teenager, but it’s very difficult. It’s the stuff you read about in a Baseball America magazine,” he said. “He’s definitely a special player to be so young, so talented and so driven all at the same time.”
The Southern Miss commit is currently playing at the State Games in Meridian and will spend the summer playing for the East Coast Sox once again. The Sox’s big tournament begins July 6 in Emerson, Ga., in the WWBA 2020 National Championships, which is a premier wood-bat showcase.
Pictured Above: Slade Wilks celebrates with Drew Havard and Tate Duncan after a leadoff home run March 27 against Laurel Christian. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
