Shrewsbury High’s Twitchell leaves legacy of success on field and ice

By John Orrell, Managing Editor

Shrewsbury – He is far from flashy or flamboyant; that is clearly not his style. But what players, coaches and Shrewsbury High (SHS) team supporters see in graduating senior Adam Twitchell, all agree, is everything you can ask for in a high school sports-team leader, just without the hype.

He has the numbers that every coach dreams of which include a 2016 Midland A batting title (73 AB, 38 hits, .521 average) and an overall area ranking of number three in scoring in ice hockey which was tops in the Quinn Conference with 43 points (21 goals, 22 assists). He delivered opponent-crushing hits on the diamond and on the ice that don’t always make the score sheets, but for sure there is much more than raw numbers that define Adam Twitchell.

“No question, Adam is one of the best captains I have had on my teams,” said SHS fifth-year ice hockey head coach Steve Turnblom. “He’s great with the younger kids and really brings them along and makes them feel welcome on the team. He’s great with all his teammates both on and off the ice. I could always count on him when the team needed a big play.”

“He’s a gamer. He’s really a gritty kid,” echoed baseball coaching counterpart Lee Diamantopoulos. “He comes up big when we need him most. He always comes up with big hits for us. When the chips are down and you really need a play, he’s a pitcher you want throwing or as a batter hitting or fielding the ball. When the game’s on the line, Adam’s the kid you want. He’s come through for us again and again.”

Twitchell hails from a sports-oriented family and took to the ice to compete in hockey at age six. It was baseball in the warmer months with the influence of older brother, Zack, who was constantly encouraging him in sports to keep up. The result was much playing time with kids older than he which served to amp up his skills to a higher level.

In addition to sibling influence, Twitchell credits both parents who were committed to his sports participation and would constantly sacrifice for his opportunity to compete in both sports.

As he grew older, he became torn between pursuing ice hockey or baseball but ultimately the decision was not an all-together difficult one. He would choose both and become one of Shrewsbury High’s top athletes in each.

What strikes most about this talented athlete is his gregarious, witty and soft-spoken demeanor that transforms into the tenacious, hard-driven player when stepping on to the ice or diamond.

“It’s like Adam has an ‘on and off’’switch,” explained Turnblom. “He’s mature and really calm off the ice but when that switch goes on and he’s on the ice he becomes really intense and his toughness shows through. He’s truly a leader that leads by example. I can’t say enough about what a great kid he is.”

“There’s definitely a switch that goes on and off for me,” acknowledged Twitchell. “When I’m on the ice, I’m an entirely different person. I’m nice off the ice but on the ice I don’t like to take much from the other team. That’s just the competitiveness I have in me.

“I want to prove to my teammates and coaches that I’m giving them my all every time I touch the ice or get on the field. I just wanted to give it my all every game.”

Twitchell has been an integral part of SHS sports success over the past four years. He was an outfielder / pitcher on the baseball team that advanced to Division 1 CMass District finals in 2015 and 2016 providing spark with his speed and on-base ability batting out of the leadoff position. There was a hockey state championship won at TD Garden in his sophomore year, but as gratifying as that was, coming up just short of a title run in his final season was admittedly painful. The Colonials dropped a second-round OT decision to rival Algonquin Regional High School ending the top-seeded team’s season way too prematurely.

“I was blessed to have a state championship at the TD Garden my sophomore year,” Twitchell said. “But we were picked to go all the way this year and to not make it was tough, but you just have to overcome it.”

Being named a co-captain in ice hockey and baseball was an honor but it was not long after that he realized that captaincy is much more than taking care of yourself, but rather an obligation to oversee an entire team roster. That being established, Twitchell went on to relish the role.

“Not every kid can say they’re a captain,” he said. “They have to build up to it. You have to do the right thing to keep it. I think the coaches give the responsibility to the kids they trust and know they’ll do the right thing. I’m glad they gave it to me.”

“Adam is definitely a kid who leads by example,” said Diamantopoulos. “With his play on the field, that’s very inspiring for the team. Our underclassmen definitely take a lesson on him as to how to compete.”

Twitchell had mixed feelings about which sport to pursue at the college level but ultimately chose baseball, but will keep club hockey as an option when entering St. Joseph’s College in the fall as a sports management major.

“I’ve been blessed to have had the chance to compete for Shrewsbury and wouldn’t change a thing,” summed up Twitchell, who will play American Legion baseball this summer. “It’s been a great experience that I will always appreciate.”