Ariana Adams settles in with newfound success as reliever for Syracuse

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Ariana Adams came in to pitch for Texas during the third inning against Alabama in Game 3 of the 2019 Tuscaloosa Super Regional. The winner would secure a spot in the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. The Longhorns’ starter and first reliever both struggled significantly, as they trailed 6-1 at that point. 

Adams immediately slowed the Crimson Tide’s momentum, wrapping up the third inning as she pitched the rest of the game. She allowed only two runs and four hits over the next three innings, keeping Texas in the game defensively, which helped its offense cut the lead to as little as two runs, though it ultimately lost 8-5.

“She never got too rattled in the circle when things went awry a little bit. She was really good at stopping the game from getting out of hand and keeping her composure,” former Texas assistant coach Kerry Shaw said. “It’s what made her such a great reliever.”

Adams transferred from Texas to Syracuse last summer after four years as a reliever and occasional starter for the Longhorns. She’s coming off a 2021 season where she led Texas in ERA and opponent batting average, despite seeing the least amount of playing time among its pitching staff. Adams has appeared in over half of Syracuse’s games this season, posting a 3.86 ERA and striking out 54 batters.

Adams’ coach at Magnolia West (Texas) High School, Sheryl Tamborello, watched her play in youth leagues and middle school and was eager for her to join the high school team. But even before she entered high school, Adams knew she wanted to play college ball at Texas and committed in eighth grade.

During her freshman season at Texas under head coach Connie Clark, Adams appeared in six games as a reliever. In her first inning of collegiate softball, she recorded a strikeout and didn’t give up any runs. But since she wasn’t on the field as much, she was mostly known for her energy in the dugout, former Texas player Kaitlyn Washington said.

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“You would think coming in as a freshman she’d be kind of timid, but she came in and made it known she was going to bring that energy for the team,” Washington said. “She was always cheering and screaming her head off. Everyone just fed off of it.”

Everything changed for Adams and the Longhorns when Clark stepped down after 22 years as the program’s head coach. A month later, the team hired Mike White, previously the head coach at Oregon, who brought four former Ducks to Texas, which pushed Adams further down the depth chart. Both Washington and Shaw said she probably didn’t get as much playing time as she deserved.

“Any opportunity she did get, she didn’t disappoint. She didn’t let the team down.” Shaw said. “When you get too many good pitchers, it’s hard to find innings for all of them, and I think she fell victim to that a little bit.”

Arianna Adams played in 34 games over her four years at Texas. Courtesy of Texas Athletics Photography

Adams considered transferring to Syracuse after her sophomore season because of the lack of playing time and after her friend, pitcher Chloe Romero, left for University of California, Berkeley. But she stayed at Texas, as transferring would likely delay her degree and she was reluctant to move away from Texas for the first time in her life.

Adams said the rest of her time at Texas helped her get better at her craft. She continued to work more with White on precise mechanics to improve her pitching.

“Coach White helped improve my spin by showing how what I was doing with my body was affecting the pitch,” Adams said. “I have more control because of that.”

Her improvement showed during the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season. She saw action in six games and picked up wins in two of the three games she started. Adams followed that up by posting a 1.66 ERA her senior year and picking up four wins through 10 appearances.

But she still wasn’t playing as much as she wanted and looked into the transfer portal again, finally deciding to transfer after finding a graduate program at Syracuse that suited her academic interests.

Adams said this season with the Orange has been a learning experience for her. She’s gone from being on the team that hosts tournaments and sometimes travels for two weeks at a time, to starting the year with seven straight weeks on the road. The tiring travel schedule makes it harder to show up to practices focused and with a clear mind, but Adams said she’s rediscovered her passion for softball because of that.

“I’m willing to do whatever it takes because my teammates are going through the same things as me,” Adams said. “I know we’re all tired, but we all want to do this for each other. The bond here, because of that, is a lot stronger. That’s what made my last year worth it.”