MILTON — Santa Rosa County and Pace High School will honor of their own next week.
PHS will celebrate 2012 graduate Addison Russell, the Chicago Cubs’ No. 27 shortstop and second baseman, during Addison Russell Day. The event kicks off 2:40 p.m. Nov. 29 in the school gymnasium.
The Santa Rosa County Commission plans to honor Russell during a December commission meeting.
Russell began a series of homecoming stops this week, starting Nov. 15 with Pensacola City Hall, where Mayor Ashton Hayward presented the 22-year-old a key to the city.
Russell became a part of sports history when the Chicago Cubs broke a 108-year streak of losing a World Series. The team forced a game seven against the Cleveland Indians with a two-run double and baseball's coveted grand slam.
A double occurs when a batter hits the ball and reaches second base. In Russell's case, the play allowed two runners on base to score. A grand slam occurs when a batter hits a homerun with a player on each base, resulting in four points.
According to MLB.com writer Roger Schluter, Russell's third-inning grand slam was the 19th in World Series history and first in Cubs history during a World Series game.
‘IT WAS INGRAINED IN HIM’
Russell's Pace High coach, Charlie Warner, now the school's athletic director, said the player preferred to play defense.
During his four years playing Patriot baseball, Warner said the team reached the Final Four three times and won the championship once, in 2010.
"When he was short stop for us … a ground ball was an out, period."
Russell's success resulted from a combination of innate ability and hard work, according to Warner.
"The ball always went in his glove,” Warner said. “He was always able to throw runners out knowing how much time he had. It was very unusual for a high school kid to have. It was ingrained in him."
Warner said Russell's defensive capabilities and ball awareness are his overlooked skills. Warner described a play in a game late in the season against Crestview High School: A Crestview player hit the ball and it went between the third baseman's legs. Russell fielded the ball and threw the player out at first base.
"Scouts started getting on their phones," he said. "But the thing about it is, what kid would have thought the third baseman wouldn't make that play? It's right at him … Addison was there because he plays like there's nobody on the field but him. He doesn't take for granted somebody else will make the play. That's one thing we preach: You don't know what pitch is going to be the most important pitch for you to make your best effort."
‘KEEP PUSHING’
During Hayward's speech, he said Russell is not only a talented player but also a humble one. Warner agreed. After the grand slam, he said, Russell didn't excessively celebrate; he returned to the dugout. Others couldn't tell if he hit a homerun or struck out, Warner said.
Pace High School Principal Stephen Shell said, "I'm a huge baseball fan. I'm a huge Addison Russell fan … He worked extremely hard … It was not about Addison. It was about Pace High School."
During the Pensacola event, Russell, addressing the crowd, said, "It's been a very long road. I'm glad we're here. It can only get better from here and, hopefully, you'll see more of me and my family out there winning more world championships."
To those athletes following Russell, he said, "Keep pushing. Sometimes it seems like the door is going to be slammed in your face. You have to do your best to open up that door. You have to put in the long hours. You have to sacrifice free time with friends.
“Really consider this as a way you can provide for your family. If they keep that mindset, the levels I think they can reach are pretty high."
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: County, Pace High to honor homegrown Chicago Cub