Jacobs players looked up to Adenhart

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart throws a pitch Wednesday against the Oakland Athletics. Adenhardt was killed in a car crash after the game on Thursday. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

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ALGONQUIN – Jacobs senior Nick Panvino hardly could believe what was happening last summer when Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart watched him throw.

Panvino also hardly could believe the tragic news when he reached school Thursday morning and heard that Adenhart, 22, had been killed in a car crash in Anaheim, Calif.

“I said, ‘No way!’ ” Panvino said. “Then I went to a class and asked my teacher if I could look at her computer. [Third baseman] Johnny [Amann] was in my class, and we were speechless.”

Adenhart grew up in Maryland, but his mother, Janet Gigeous, lives in Algonquin. Henry Gigeous, Adenhart’s half-brother, is a freshman in Jacobs’ baseball program, so Adenhart accompanied Henry to school in the offseason to pitch or play basketball.

“It was the coolest experience ever,” Panvino said. “[Adenhart] let me pitch in front of him. He spent about an hour with us, then he pitched in front of us and talked about pitching. He was a great guy. It was awesome to have him out there.”

Jacobs catcher Patton Hofer considered catching Adenhart a lifetime thrill.

“He asked me to catch a bullpen [session] and I was all over it,” Hofer said. “He throws 90 to 94 [mph], and the closest thing we have to that is his brother, who throws 87. It was really cool to see what a major league pitcher looks like.

“I was sick in my stomach. I started thinking about what Henry’s going through.”

Henry Gigeous, a pitcher-first baseman, played some games with the varsity this season and the rest with the sophomore team. Golden Eagles varsity coach Eric Sanders asked Duane Gigeous if his son still wanted to play Thursday against West Chicago and Henry decided to play with the sophomores.

“It may have been a distraction for [Henry],” Sanders said. “He was very close to Nick. Most of our kids were close to Nick. It’s a wonderful family, and Nick was a wonderful young man. There were so many elements of his character that made you root for him.”

A phone number for the Gigeous family in Algonquin was disconnected Thursday.

Adenhart had overcome Tommy John surgery and worked his way to the major leagues at a young age. He was placed in the rotation by manager Mike Scioscia after injuries sent starters John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar and Ervin Santana.

His only big league win came in May 2008 against the White Sox, when he allowed 4 runs and 9 hits in 5 2/3 innings in an eventual 10-7 Angels victory.

Adenhart left Wednesday’s game against Oakland with a 4-0 lead that the Angels’ bullpen failed to hold.

After the game, Adenhart was a passenger in a Mitsubishi Eclipse that was broadsided at about 12:30 a.m. by a minivan, which apparently ran a red light. The minivan driver, Andrew Thomas Gallo, fled on foot and was apprehended shortly after the accident. Gallo had a suspended license from a previous DUI conviction. According to reports, Anaheim police said Gallo’s blood-alcohol was “substantially over the legal limit” of 0.08 percent.

Panvino said Adenhart came to Jacobs a few times during the offseason and worked with the players. Adenhart would make suggestions to pitchers, talk about gripping pitches and other aspects of the game. Since Adenhart was only a few years older than the high school athletes, Panvino thought he easily related to the players.

“Nick would be visiting his family and come by with Henry and throw or play basketball,” Sanders said. “He made time available to our kids. In terms of being a quality young man, you can’t say enough good things about him.”