Choate, Atwood lift Hamilton baseball

The freshman outfielder was named the team's Rookie of the Year after hitting .375 and setting program season records for runs scored (30) and stolen bases (15, with 18 attempts). Meanwhile, sophomore teammate Justin Atwood, a designated hitter and first baseman from Wellesley, hit .359 with a team-high 5 homers from the cleanup spot.

"Sam has great plate presence, is a base-stealing threat and was without question one of our most clutch performers. We had him batting leadoff or in the 6 or 9 holes," said Hamilton head coach Tim Byrnes, whose team set a season record for victories in finishing the year at 14-21.

As for Atwood, Byrnes said, "Justin will be a captain next year. He brings a ton of power potential to our lineup and is on the verge of being a very special player for us."

Among the team leaders in extra base hits, total bases, and RBIs, Atwood also pitched out of the bullpen on occasion. He was a standout baseball player at Wellesley High, where he was a second team Bay State Conference selection as a pitcher.

"Justin was a major contributor to our team both on the mound and in the field," recalled his coach at Wellesley High, Rob Kane. "He was respected by his teammates because of his determination to become a better player, and I remember quite well when he dominated Natick High in a complete-game victory his senior year. He also helped us upset Plymouth South in the postseason when we were the 24th seed and came back from a 7-2 deficit to win 10-7."

Choate graduated last spring from the Belmont Hill School, where he was an All-Independent School League selection and MVP of the baseball team. He also played hockey at Belmont Hill, and appeared in nine games for Hamilton's varsity hockey squad this winter.

"Sam led off for us and had over a .500 on-base percentage his junior and senior seasons," Belmont Hill coach Eddie Gallagher said of his former captain. "He became an outstanding take-away outfielder, one of the very best I have ever coached. He would be on my all-time last at-bat team, a player I would want to come up in the last inning of a losing ballgame because he would be poised, relaxed, and confident."

Lexington High graduate Kelly Adams, who had a breakout senior season with the Kenyon College softball team in Gambier, Ohio, this spring, was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American third team. She is the first Kenyon softball player to achieve the honor.

A sociology major with a 3.68 grade-point average, Adams also played varsity field hockey and was a four-time selection to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Team. She has been named three times to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Academic squad.

This spring, Adams had one of the best offensive numbers in Kenyon softball history, pacing the Ladies to an 18-18 overall record. She led the team and the North Coast Athletic Conference with a .432 batting average, had a .475 on-base percentage, and tied the program season record with four triples. She was a three-time conference Player of the Week and a first-team conference all-star.

"Kelly was an outstanding leader," Kenyon coach Stephanie Penner said about Adams, who never hit higher than .278 in her three previous seasons. "She set a great example for her teammates on a daily basis on the field and in the classroom."

The former Framingham High multisport athlete was named to the America East Conference's all-tournament team, was an all-conference first-team pick, and was selected to the Northeast Region Division 1 second team.

Kaplan's team-high 25 assists ranked in the top 50 nationally. She also added 29 goals and was the only Wildcats player in double figures for goals, assists, ground balls, draw controls, and caused turnovers. She ended the season with a 12-game point-scoring streak, helping UNH go 12-7 overall and finish runner-up in the conference tournament.

Marvin Pave can be reached at 508-820-4223 or marvin.pave@ rcn.com.