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Healthy Sullivan a boost to FCS
Baseball notepad
Date published: 4/9/2009 By Steve Franzello The road to success can take many turns. For Fredericksburg Christian School's Jake Sullivan, the road also has been mostly uphill. The senior pitcher has won two of the three games he's started, striking out 17 batters and posting a 0.91 ERA for the 3-2 Eagles. Along with catcher Addison Vance, he's also provided new coach Danny Beverly with some offensive punch. He's currently batting .400 and has driven in five runs. "He throws strikes, has a heavy fastball and really good slider," said Beverly, who coached at Group AAA Stafford last year. "He's worked hard and is a team leader." Sullivan's accomplishments this season are impressive, but take on a whole new light when you consider what he has experienced during the past three years. His path to the No. 1 spot on the FCS pitching staff has included a rash of injuries, tons of rehabilitation and a change in schools. Sullivan had a promising start as a freshman. He won four games for the Eagles and the future looked bright. But then, things changed. Painful rotator cuff tendinitis and shoulder instability plagued his sophomore season, making pitching impossible, and he spent most of the year at first base. Sullivan worked hard in the off-season, but it took a change in mechanics to get him back on track. At the advice of coach Derek Marsh, he adopted a side-arm delivery and the pain subsided after a lot of hard work. Healthy again, he transferred to Massaponax when FCS started going through a transition period with its athletics. Used mainly in a closer role for the Panthers, adversity struck again when he suffered a back injury in an automobile accident. More rehabilitation followed and Sullivan's outlook improved, especially when he made the Richmond Braves College Scout Team. But fate and an 85-mph fastball that fractured his elbow dealt yet another blow. After two months in a cast, a determined Sullivan returned to the Eagles this year to play for Beverly and establish himself as a legitimate college prospect. "He's worked his tail off to get back on the mound," Beverly said. "He pitches with no pain now. It's like he has a new lease on life." --Steve Franzello
Date published: 4/9/2009
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