Adam Pate finds baseball success at every level
• By CHANDLER JOHNSON cjohnson@newsargus.com
Adam Pate is the head coach for the Wayne Country Day School and Wayne County Post 11 baseball teams.
This summer, both teams made it to the state playoffs, and on May 15, Wayne Country Day won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A state championship.
The state championship win for Wayne Country Day was only their second in the school’s history, and the first since 2007.
All of this success has come in a short period of time for Pate, who took his first head coaching job in the summer of 2018 with the Post 11 Legion baseball team. Before coaching the Legion baseball team, Pate was an assistant coach for the Charles B. Aycock High School baseball team during the spring of 2018.
He most recently accepted the job as the Wayne Country Day head coach in the fall of 2019.
In 2021, Wayne Country Day celebrated winning the state title in what was Pate’s first season in charge. Originally the spring season of 2020 was supposed to be Pate’s first year in charge, but the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pate, who began playing baseball at the age of 3, said he has always had a love for the game.
“I was just drawn to it,” he said. “I always loved it, and I had the desire and the work ethic, and I wanted to be great. My parents never really had to push me to play.”
When Pate played in high school, he represented Charles B. Aycock from 2010 to 2013. During that time, he played every position on the field from pitcher to infielder to outfielder. At the college level, Pate represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2014 to 2017, where he started as an outfielder.
After graduating college in 2017 from UNC-CH with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, Pate said he realized he wasn’t going to play professional baseball, but he knew he enjoyed the coaching side of the game.
“After college I got immediately into coaching,” he said. “I knew that if I wasn’t going to play professional baseball that I wanted to coach.
“I’ve been coaching since, and it’s been a fun ride so far, and I hope we keep winning games.”
Even though Pate has had a successful coaching career, he gives all the credit to his players and says they are the biggest reason for his success.
“Good players win games,” he said. “A lot of good coaches that I learned from preached that to me.”
Braedon Collins, Post 11 and Wayne Country Day pitcher and infielder, said he has enjoyed playing for Pate and that he is the best baseball coach he has ever had.
“It’s always been fun to play under Adam,” Collins said. “He is probably the best coach I have had, and I’m sure all the guys that play for Wayne Country and for Post 11 can also say that.”
Drew Spencer, Wayne Country Day and Post 11 catcher, said playing for Pate has been a great experience and that he has learned a lot.
“It’s been special playing under coach Pate,” Spencer said. “He has definitely been a big part of my development, and he has helped me a lot. He has taught me so much about the ins and outs of the game of baseball.”
After winning the championship this season, Pate’s players for Wayne Country Day believe they can win the title again in 2022.
“This year was especially fun for us since we won the state championship, and we are going to win it next year, too,” said Cohen Waddell, Wayne Country Day relief pitcher.
• By CHANDLER JOHNSON cjohnson@newsargus.com
Adam Pate is the head coach for the Wayne Country Day School and Wayne County Post 11 baseball teams.
This summer, both teams made it to the state playoffs, and on May 15, Wayne Country Day won the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association 2A state championship.
The state championship win for Wayne Country Day was only their second in the school’s history, and the first since 2007.
All of this success has come in a short period of time for Pate, who took his first head coaching job in the summer of 2018 with the Post 11 Legion baseball team. Before coaching the Legion baseball team, Pate was an assistant coach for the Charles B. Aycock High School baseball team during the spring of 2018.
He most recently accepted the job as the Wayne Country Day head coach in the fall of 2019.
In 2021, Wayne Country Day celebrated winning the state title in what was Pate’s first season in charge. Originally the spring season of 2020 was supposed to be Pate’s first year in charge, but the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pate, who began playing baseball at the age of 3, said he has always had a love for the game.
“I was just drawn to it,” he said. “I always loved it, and I had the desire and the work ethic, and I wanted to be great. My parents never really had to push me to play.”
When Pate played in high school, he represented Charles B. Aycock from 2010 to 2013. During that time, he played every position on the field from pitcher to infielder to outfielder. At the college level, Pate represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2014 to 2017, where he started as an outfielder.
After graduating college in 2017 from UNC-CH with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sports science, Pate said he realized he wasn’t going to play professional baseball, but he knew he enjoyed the coaching side of the game.
“After college I got immediately into coaching,” he said. “I knew that if I wasn’t going to play professional baseball that I wanted to coach.
“I’ve been coaching since, and it’s been a fun ride so far, and I hope we keep winning games.”
Even though Pate has had a successful coaching career, he gives all the credit to his players and says they are the biggest reason for his success.
“Good players win games,” he said. “A lot of good coaches that I learned from preached that to me.”
Braedon Collins, Post 11 and Wayne Country Day pitcher and infielder, said he has enjoyed playing for Pate and that he is the best baseball coach he has ever had.
“It’s always been fun to play under Adam,” Collins said. “He is probably the best coach I have had, and I’m sure all the guys that play for Wayne Country and for Post 11 can also say that.”
Drew Spencer, Wayne Country Day and Post 11 catcher, said playing for Pate has been a great experience and that he has learned a lot.
“It’s been special playing under coach Pate,” Spencer said. “He has definitely been a big part of my development, and he has helped me a lot. He has taught me so much about the ins and outs of the game of baseball.”
After winning the championship this season, Pate’s players for Wayne Country Day believe they can win the title again in 2022.
“This year was especially fun for us since we won the state championship, and we are going to win it next year, too,” said Cohen Waddell, Wayne Country Day relief pitcher.
