You never know where life's going to take you — or how you're gonna get there.

Case in point: Matt Adams.

Here's a baseball player from Philipsburg who accepted a scholarship to play ball at Slippery Rock University. He was a catcher who developed into one of the best hitters in all of NCAA Division II.

Physically, Adams simply became too big to play the position. SRU coach Jeff Messer switched him to first base and at times, designated hitter.

As great a hitter as he was, Adams appeared to be a man without a position.

That bat got him drafted anyway, by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 23rd round of the 2009 amateur draft. Adams hit his way through the Cardinals' minor league system, earning MVP honors in one of the leagues along the way,

He made his major league debut in May of 2012. He hurt the Pirates' in the 2013 NL Division Series by blasting a critical home run in that series. He worked his way into being a solid major league first baseman defensively.

By 2014, Adams was the Cardinals' starting first baseman. In 527 at bats, he hit 15 homers, had 68 RBI and hit .288, seemingly on his way to entrenching himself in St. Louis.

But injuries limited him the following year. Two years later, he was traded to Atlanta. In 2018, Adams was dealt to Washington.

Though Adams finished that 2018 season back with St. Louis — which tried, unsuccessfully, to make him a left fielder — the Nationals didn't forget him. Adams did hit 18 homers in 277 at bats with the Nats in 2018, after all.

So last offseason, Washington signed Adams as a free agent. He took a one-year, $4.5 million deal to return to D.C.

Injuries hit the team hard in May. Ryan Zimmerman, Juan Soto, Trea Turner and Anthony Rendone — all starters — went on the injured list. Adams stepped in for Zimmerman at first base, only to jam a shoulder diving for a pop-up and winding up on the injured list himself.

The rest is history.

The Nationals got healthy, Adams served a role as a productive bench player by hitting 20 home runs, the team secured a wild-card berth and went on to win a history-making World Series last week.

Adams had only three at bats in the 2019 postseason, all in pinch-hitting roles.

He'll take it.

This guy who was hammering baseballs out of Critchfield Park a decade ago is now getting a World Series ring. He will be the first former SRU player to get one since Bob Shawkey back in 1926.

He is part of Washington's first World Series championship team since 1924.

And now he's a free agent.

Still only 31, Matt Adams still has a lot of baseball to play. Where and for what team remains to be seen.

What's his next step? Who knows?

But he sure enjoyed this last one.

John Enrietto is sports editor of the Butler Eagle