Adam Derner, a Rams First Baseman, Dies at 69 Years Old

Adam Derner currently plays baseball for the Rhode Island Rams and was honored to be selected to both the New Jersey Collegiate All-State Team and American Baseball Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team. At River Dell High School he set records in terms of slugging percentage, total bases and home runs – also earning three All-ECAC selections in total.

Early Life and Education

Adam Derner of River Dell High School in Bergen County, NJ scored the Rams’ only run of the game with this swing in the bottom of the fourth inning. Derner will join U of Rhode Island next year and continue his playing career there.

Adelphi graduate students are known for forming strong working relationships with faculty mentors that result in significant research outputs. Nili Solomonov, a Ph.D. candidate in Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology recently co-authored a study about how current politics impacts patients’ experiences during therapy sessions.

Professional Career

Derner earned three selections to the New Jersey Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) All-State Team and one spot on the American Baseball Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team during his time at River Dell. Additionally, he holds school records in batting average, home runs and RBI while ranking within the top-10 of hits, total bases and slugging percentage.

On Sunday in Bowling Green’s 9-8 win against Horner & Shifrin’s rotating engineering internship program, Derner helped give his Rams an early edge by hitting a two-out single that scored junior Oliver Palmer and sophomore Jeff Cammans with only two outs remaining in the first inning. He finished 3-for-4 with three RBI in this contest. Earlier that year he spent two weeks each in our Transportation, Bridge, Construction Services, Civil Site, GIS departments for our rotating engineering internship program.

Achievement and Honors

Adam Derner has excelled as a student-of-the-game thanks to his unyielding pursuit of excellence and craftiness as a player, which allowed him to match up against bigger, stronger players despite his small frame despite their increased post presence. Coupled with his team-first mentality, this approach has led him to unparalleled success throughout his career.

Adam has also been recognized for his dedication to community service and leadership, being inducted into the Mortar Board honor society – a national organization recognizing scholarship, service, and leadership.

Derner hails from River Edge, New Jersey – just 11 miles away from Yankee Stadium. He has previously expressed an affinity for both professional teams: New York Yankees and Giants as well as his hometown Cleveland Knights baseball club.

Personal Life

James August Derner, born Edward and Pauline Loretta Brown Derner and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico; passed away peacefully with family at his Kannapolis home on April 11, 2020 at age 69. Survived by Terry Plummer Derner; wife of 38 years Derick August and Shannon Lewis (both from Mt. Pleasant), Jakob Christian Derner with Alisha Duggan from Mt. Pleasant (both also living nearby); daughters Keri Lee Lewis with Adam Lewis as her partner (both from Mt Pleasant) as well as Bella; as well as Bella her canine companion and faithful friend Bella the canine companion dog friend Bella the pup who was dearly loved.

He graduated from Bard College as its all-time career scoring leader with 1,785 points. Known for his student-of-the-game mentality and relentless pursuit of excellence on the court, he coached numerous collegiate players while running Hoop Group Skills Camps.