Lincoln looked to rebound
Cody Anter wanted to lead Lions back to baseball playoffs
LINCOLN – According to Cody Anter, the championship sweat was still moist on his skin when he and Lincoln High senior basketball teammate Randall Hien began discussing how they would attack the upcoming baseball campaign.
They and the rest of the Lions had just nailed down a thrilling, overtime victory over Johnston in the Division III basketball tilt at Vin Cullen Field House, and the celebration continued on the bus ride home.
“We were in the back of the bus, as usual, and Randall and I were talking about it, how in years past our baseball program hasn’t had very good seasons recently, but we wanted to turn it around this year,” offered Anter, a co-captain who averaged 13 points and about six rebounds per game during the Lions’ sterling 22-5 campaign.
“We were in the back of the bus, as usual, and Randall and I were talking about it, how in years past our baseball program hasn’t had very good seasons recently, but we wanted to turn it around this year.”
— Lincoln’s Cody Anter
“We were talking about carrying this momentum (from basketball) and enthusiasm over into baseball,” he added.
“I was also thinking about how, in eighth grade, our baseball team went to the state middle school semifinals, and that we had pretty much all of the same guys coming back. There was Randall, me, Nick Toro, Aidan Murtha, Gian Ricci, Mike Salvatore and some others.
“We actually had started captains’ practice before basketball season had even ended. We’d go to Upper Deck every Sunday and hit for about 90 minutes, and – when we went at hoop practice – Randall and I would be out throwing long toss. We were already thinking about baseball because we had to; if we didn’t, we’d be way too far behind when the season started.”
As we all know by now, it never did due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and that hit Anter’s competitive nature and psyche like a sledgehammer.
“Deep down, once we had to leave school, I knew it wasn’t good, what the governor was saying; I was just praying for a miracle, that maybe the Interscholastic League would change its rule about no practices or games if schools are closed.,” he said. “We were all trying to remain positive; the seniors and the underclassmen remained hopeful, so we kept working out.
“When the Interscholastic League announced it officially, then I knew. Obviously, I was so sad, but I also knew that there was nothing I could do about it, so I just it as a time to work out twice as hard as I usually do to get ahead. I wanted to take all my anger out on my body; at least that’s positive because I’ll only improve because of it.”
When asked if thinking about the supreme way his hoop campaign had ended took away any of the pain of not playing shortstop for the Lions, Anter didn’t hesitate.
“No, it does not,” he said, “and that’s because it went back to the conversation between Randall and I on the team bus. We were ready to change the culture of the baseball team. The goal was to try to win a state championship, like it always is. We wanted to go to McCoy (Stadium) and in it.
“Individually, I wanted to play better defensively; I wanted to keep my errors down, no more than five, hopefully less,” he continued. “I also wanted my batting average to go up, and RBI, too, but I’ll never get that chance.”
His basketball coach, Kent Crooks, knows how much baseball meant to Anter because he could see it in his desire on the court. No matter what sport he was competing in, he wanted to give 120 percent of himself at all times.
“He’s cut from the same cloth as Josh Jahnz, Randall, Octavio Brito and Vin Nassi; they’re hoop and sports junkies,” he offered. “It’s funny, but I can’t count all the times when I’d end practice and they wouldn’t want to leave. They’d stick around and shoot.
I think a lot of it is their love for each other, being with each other.
“What made him so good on the court was he’s a tremendous pure shooter,” he added. “If he didn’t lead the team in threes, he was close, but he also has an unflappable demeanor, attitude; the kid just doesn’t get rattled. He has a quiet tenacity about him as well. He was a mainstay on the state championship team, and I have no doubt he’d be the same for baseball.
“We were blessed to have kids who just loved the game of basketball, and he was one of them. He’s such a smart kid, on and off the court. His basketball IQ is extremely high.”
Apparently, the coaches at the Community College of Rhode Island felt the same way, as that’s where Anter will further his academic and athletic education. He will play for the varsity men’s hoop squad, and he’s looking forward to it.
It’s doubtful he’s looking back at a storied sports career at LHS, though he should. He played basketball and baseball all four years, and happened to be a three-year varsity starter in the former and player in the latter. On the court, the guard/forward earned All-Division second-team laurels as a senior.
“Right now, if I think about what I did at Lincoln, my foremost memory would be the basketball state championship,” he stated. “Throughout our junior year, we couldn’t wait for senior year; we knew we were going to be good, and that our goal was to win the state championship. We were always talking about it.
“The summer league between junior and senior year gave us so much confidence, too, as went undefeated and won the whole thing. Everything was just clicking, and we kept it clicking.”
At this point, the kid with the 3.4 GPA is keeping busy by running 11-12 miles four times a week and lifting every day in his garage, focusing on different muscle groups. In addition, he’s doing exercises such as pushups, situps, burpees, etc.
“I guess you could say I’m remaining positive by working out, and I still go out and play basketball with some of friends,” he said. “I try not to think about (the lack of baseball), keep my mind busy. I’m also thinking about school, preparing for it. I have to say I’m excited about playing in college. It’s something I’ve always wanted.
“It used to be baseball when I was younger; I wanted to play in college, but that kind of changed when I developed my love for basketball, probably because I’m better at it.”
That said, he explained he was late for his run, and so he went.