The Durant Cougars have made a case to change their name to the “Cardiac Kids” lately, as all of their games up to Tuesday’s regional championship came down to the wire (or close enough). In the regional semifinal, junior backstop Jake Sullivan took his turn as the hero with a walk-off RBI in the ninth inning that gave his team a 1-0 win over Steinbrenner.
Tell me about Last Tuesday’s game. How did that one go for you guys?
We were going in and just trying to fight hard, because every game has been like that for us in the postseason. We knew what to expect from them. They’re a good team. We knew we had it the whole game. We gave ourselves a positive mindset, like, ‘We’re gonna win, we’re gonna win.’
When you guys beat Brandon for the district, the game-changer was Zach Barfield’s triple. That one happened on accident, after the missed bunt. Did your hit go according to plan, though?
It did, it did. He (head coach Butch Valdes) actually didn’t give me the bunt sign there. He just told me to get the job done. In BP, we’ve been working on that same situation, where a guy gets on and you’ve just got to get him over. So I was thinking, ‘Hit the ball to the right side, get (Cade Kelley) over, and then someone gets him in.’ That’s what happened. It went right in the middle, and (the Warriors) were playing infield in.
The last time the team made a state run, you were catching for Tyler Danish as a freshman.
I got to catch him in the state championship game, which was crazy. I was really nervous there. A freshman, with all these big guys, in the state championship game — it was crazy.
So you’ve been there before, as a young guy. There are a lot of them on this year’s team, so have you given them any advice for the playoffs?
We’re just gonna try to settle down, make sure that no one gets too nervous.
How long have you been playing baseball?
Since I was three years old. My dad stuck me on the tee-ball field, when you were supposed to be 5 years old, and he let me play with my brother. Gave me a uniform and everything. It was fun.
Did you always want to be a catcher, or was there something else first?
I played second base and shortstop most of my life, and I’m sure that’s helped me as a catcher. Quick transition, and all. My dad caught for the Citadel, so he’s been able to help me. When it came around freshman year, I was like, ‘Why not?’ I figured I could do it, and they needed me, so I did it.
And you’ve caught here all four years?
It’s actually a funny story. My first time, when I played second base (for Durant), we were at University of Tampa for the fall tournament, and the first two balls hit to me. I was a freshman, so I didn’t really know how to get my nerves and everything. The first balls hit to me were two errors. I’ve never seen second base again. I went over to third base for half the year, and then I went to catcher. I love playing catcher, though. I love getting involved in every play.
Do you play any other sports?
I played football, from when I was really little up until seventh grade. My dad made me choose between baseball and football. I do miss football. It was a lot of fun. I liked hitting guys. I wasn’t the biggest guy, so football wasn’t going to work out for me. I figured I’d choose the sport where I was a lot less likely to get hurt, and it’s a lot more fun for me, too.
What do you do for fun when you’re not playing sports?
Every day, after practice, we go out with the team and go eat somewhere. After that, I pretty much go home and watch TV. We like Moe’s a lot. We go there every Monday. And we like Beef’s. They like us over there, and we like them.
Last time I came here for an Athlete of the Week interview, it was Jonah Scolaro, and he kind of threw you under the bus for being the worst Mario Baseball player on the team. Do you have a response for that?
I have a response: I’ve gotten a lot better at this game, OK? I think I beat him, the other day, on a walk-off base hit. We set it for five innings, but it went eight. I’ve gotten a lot better — my game has improved big time.
He never really said why you were so bad at it — everyone in the clubhouse just kind of agreed all at once. So, what was your weakness?
I had a problem hitting. Every time they’d throw the ball, it would curve away. It would be a ball, and I would swing, because I didn’t know what I was doing, so I had to start taking pitches. Then, they started throwing strikes, and I started hitting. It was fun.
If you two were to get a rematch right now, who comes out with the win?
I’d dominate him. I would dominate him. I have confidence.