Life as a College Athlete

Solid Day on the Mound

2011-09-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

Today was probably the best I've felt in a while on the mound. Two days ago in the bullpen, something kinda clicked. I'm using my back half and getting behind the baseball now a lot better than I was. I'm throwing with a lot better velocity and break on my offspeed pitches as well. This is really translating onto the mound.

We bumped our starters up to three innings each today, so that was nice. By the time I was done, I had 6 strikeouts and 1 hit let up. I haven't let up a run, or even let a runner to third base in our Fall Scrimmages yet, so I feel good and I have a lot of confidence.

Tomorrow will be an off day for me, and I'll probably just lift and get ready for the weekend. I'm now off to half-price appetizers at Applebee's, as I'm trying to eat everything in sight to put on weight.

On a side note: Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother!!!

Rained Out

2011-09-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

Today we got rained out of our scrimmages. Just ended up putting the tarp on the field so we can hopefully use it tomorrow. I ended up throwing a bullpen by myself and then lifting. It was actually a really good workout, and next thing I knew, I was in there for an hour and a half. The thing is, I work really hard in the weight room. I'm not one of those guys who talks in between every set to everyone in the weight room and stands around. I'm going set by set quickly and try to keep moving. I'm still underweight, but I'm definitely getting stronger. All I can do is stay with my program and keep working, the size and weight will come.

On another note, class is going great. Got an A on my first exam, so that's going on the fridge. Everything is going pretty well right now, and I'm expecting that trend to continue.

Good Start to the Weekend

2011-09-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Well in the last hour and a half I've gotten a watch resized (birthday gift), driven around town looking for an open hair salon, rented Dead Island, and gotten a hair cut. It's been a pretty eventful evening so far. Errands aren't usually accomplished by myself very often, so it's fun to say I got something done. For now, I'm gonna play video games and reward myself for a hard week lifting and throwing. Have a safe night, all.

Off Day

2011-09-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

Pretty happy it's the weekend. Yesterday at intersquads I just threw a bullpen then worked out. My shoulder wasn't feeling its greatest, so I'm gonna take it easy over the weekend and just lift as opposed to throwing as well. It's not a tear or anything, but there was some burning going on and it's just best not to mess around with it if not needed.

It's still cold out and I hope it warms up for next week. I can't stand playing ball in the cold weather, let alone throwing in it. In class news, I had an accounting test today which actually went pretty well. I'm doing pretty well in the academic field this year already and I'm enjoying my classes. Have a great weekend everyone.

Cold Day

2011-09-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well today the high is 58 degrees. Great weather for outside practice. It is still summer right? I don't know seasons very well. Anyway, yesterday went fairly well on the mound. I threw two innings with two hits, two walks and a strikeout. I threw effectively but not "well." I got outs, but my command was not there at all. I'll have to work on this in the bullpen and everything will be fine. I'm throwing with decent velocity and I'm happy with how I'm doing.

I'm gonna go workout, bearing the football team isn't in the weight room. Again.

More Intersquad Scrimmages Today

2011-09-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Today I'm throwing in our scrimmages again. Our starters will go 2 innings each, then relievers will follow. I threw great on Monday and I plan on getting better each game. These games are actually pretty fun and loose. They're primarily to see what raw talent we have, and what we need to focus on after winter is over.

As far as class is concerned, I'm off to a great start. I'm enjoying my classes for the most part, and I'm feeling good about the semester as a whole already. I'll update with how the games go either tonight or tomorrow after class. Have a solid Wednesday everyone.

Birthday Yesterday

2011-09-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I turned 20. Now, that doesn't seem very old to most of you, but I've been a "teen" for 7 years now. So far, all I've gotten is, "Bet you can't wait until you're 21!!?" I actually, in all reality, I could care less about turning 21. I'm not a pre-teen girl running around to my older friends looking for alcohol, and it's not that important to me.

Yesterday, I woke up and drove my girlfriend to calling hours for her close-friend's father's calling hours. It was a sudden loss, and really shook her and her family. I know the value of family and friends, and it was a no brainer to drive her to see her friend. I'm pretty easy anyway. We went to dinner after and I was content. It doesn't take much to please me.

Anyway, in more important topics: We started Fall Intersquad scrimmages today. Our starters get two innings then we go to our relievers for three innings or so. I threw two innings with no hits, two strikeouts, and a walk to a pitcher. I actually threw really well, and I'm happy with how my mechanics are at this point. From here on, it's all about putting on weight and velocity before the season comes in Spring.

I'll be updating regularly again now that my life is in order and I'm fully moved into school. Thanks everyone.

Back at School

2011-08-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well, I just move back into school. My roommate and I spent about 3 hours building my futon and nightstand, as I have the carpentry skills of a hamster. I've never been very good at building things, but my room is set up to the point where it's livable. Today, I'm moving more things in and heading to Best Buy to finally get my iPad. I've been saving for a while and I'd like to personally thank everyone who's read this blog in the past months, it's helped me both emotionally and fiscally as a college student. I look forward to continuing it, as it's impacted a lot of people in ways I couldn't imagine. Thanks everyone!

-Sulli

Rough Days

2011-08-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well, a few days ago my uncle was admitted into the hospital. He's had an awful headache for days, and finally it got to the point where he collapsed in the shower. He's the toughest guy I know, so for him to admit to that kind of pain is rather unsettling. At first the doctors felt it was Viral Meningitis, but after testing believe it is an an aneurysm. I visited the hospital yesterday, and of course his spirits were good. He's taught me to always be loose and act like a kid for as long as you can, because being an adult isn't nearly as fun.

Normally, I take these things pretty well. Things happen and go away and you move on. However, this is the man who introduced me to baseball, and did everything he could to get me to all of my games. He signed me up for my first pitching lesson when I was 12. I owe everything I've ever done to him. So, it's tough to see him in a situation like this. He's a father figure to me, and all I can do is hope that testing and procedures go well, and that he turns out just fine.

Golfed Today

2011-08-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well, today I played a round of 18 with my brother and a friend. Shot decent, as I'm around an 8 handicap, so I was on track with that. I did have my second ever Eagle on the par 5 7th hole. Had a good time, and it was the last time I'll see my friend til he gets back in town from college, as he leaves tomorrow. Just found out about some rough medical issues in our family, but hopefully it'll be ok. I've had enough of hospitals for the year. Have a good week everyone.

Finished With Summer Ball

2011-08-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

I just got finished with Summer ball. Was at two tournaments in the past week and it's been hectic. I threw last Monday against a solid Brooklyn team and went 7.1 innings. We ended up winning 15-8 in a pretty offensive game. I go back to school in a week and a half or so and I'm looking forward to fall scrimmages with the incoming Freshman. Just a quick update while I have the time.

Regional This Weekend

2011-07-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

Well, just got back from another workout. It is absolutely steaming outside. The heat index is about 110 degrees and it feels warmer. I'm thankful the facility is air conditioned because it is unhealthily hot outside. But, to the main point at hand, our summer league team competes in our regional tournament this weekend. If we win, we go somewhere far away to play in another tournament. I don't have all the details yet.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I will be able to attend, as I was selected for jury duty the first week of August. I couldn't get out of it. This is what I get for demonstrating my "rights" as everyone calls them. Hopefully they'll drop me on the first day due to my youthful ignorance of the real world, at least that's the facade I'm trying to put up. I'll throw in either a start or in relief all weekend, which I'm fine with. I've been more successful in relief as of late. This is probably due to batters getting a feel for me the second time around, I need to mix up my sequences more in later innings. Summer league, in reality, is for staying loose and seeing more talent. It's tough to stay on a consistent throwing program, and you need to make every appearance count. In college, you're throwing every day and working on a consistent program, making it easy to stay sharp every appearance.

Stay cool everyone, it's a scorcher out there.

Update. Finally!

2011-07-18T11:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, so long story short, I'm back home for the summer. After dealing with players, or the lackthereof, the team only had about 10 players for every game. Every game I threw I was drained, as I had to hit and play the field as well. On top of this, some unfortunate things happened, and I was better off coming home for the remainder of the summer.

I'm on a team from my area of Ohio and I've already had 2 starts and multiple appearances in relief for my new team. I've had more playing time in 2 weeks than 4 weeks in Jersey. I'm still working hard in the weight room and throwing as well as I can for a summer league.

I wanted to put up a post as my mother has been nagging me for it and a lot of people follow it who I don't talk to, but are interested in my travels.

I'll be updating regularly again, and like always, I'm off to go workout.

Ridiculous Day

2011-06-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, on the bright side, it didn't rain. However, when I got to the field for my start I realized we only had 9 guys, including me. I had to hit, and I knew that after I threw I would have to play the field. I threw 5 innings and my pitch count was up. During the entire game, it seemed like I had no rest. I would throw, hit and go right back out. I was dead tired. The fastball had no velocity and every ball fell in the outfield due to us having pitchers playing the field. I'm not blaming them, I'm blaming the other players who decided to take the day off. It hurt our entire team, and made all of us look bad.

This is what frustrates me more than anything, lack of effort. I was out there playing positions I haven't played in 6 years and hitting. I went 1 for 4 with an RBI single. I did the best I could, and that was that. Those players who decided to be lazy or "hurt" have to live knowing they're not giving 100%. Statistically, it wasn't my best game, but I gave all the effort I could and had as much fun as I could.

I'm probably gonna head home for this week, and come back next week for my start. I'll have about 3 weeks left when I get back and it'll be good to see my family and such. I need a break from this place.

Rain!

2011-06-23T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well, today was rather slow to get going. I chose to sleep in until noon. I lifted anyway, and got a decent workout in so it's not all that bad. It rained rather hard for about 20 minutes and the field we were supposed to play on is probably under water. As a pitcher, I don't need to attend every game, which is nice considering some of the fields are an hour plus away.

My teammates are getting ready to leave, probably only to turn around in a half hour and come back due to the rain. I'm going to find food and such to busy my day up. I'll start looking at rosters as well for my start on Saturday. If it gets rained out again I'm going to cry myself to sleep.

Student Loan Day....

2011-06-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Today was that infamous day that I had to apply for a student loan for the next school year. If you haven't gone through this process, it's basically the same feeling as bashing your head against the nearest desk. I called up the company and went through the validation process, which was unnecessarily too long. Once I got on the phone with an actual human, she of course had an indecipherable accent. I went through the application process without killing anyone and finally got through it. On the bright side, I don't need an excessive amount of money due to the scholarships I receive academically.

Today was pretty much the same as any other day. I woke up, worked out and ate. Now I'm doing my daily post trying to get out some stress. I'll probably follow this up with some music and Xbox Live. It's always fun to take out my frustrations on Call of Duty and the 13 year-olds on Summer vacation. I don't have much more to write about right now. Here's a video I've been watching a lot lately. Makes me feel better at times.

Solid Tuesday

2011-06-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Today started off like most days here, with us in the weight room. I love getting up relatively early and getting a great workout in and still having all afternoon to do whatever I need to do. My suite mates are helping me immensely. I've put on about 6 pounds in the past 4 weeks or so. My goal is to gain a pound a week, and it's going very well. I'm on a better diet and I'm focusing on getting stronger every day. It's coming through on the mound as well, as I feel a bit more behind the baseball when I throw.

Our team played one of the better teams in the league today, and ended up losing 5-1. Our pitcher threw pretty well, but a couple home runs made the difference. With kids from UNC and big name schools, we have to keep the ball down in small ballparks such as the one we played at tonight.

I start this upcoming Saturday, so I'll begin to look at rosters, stats, and such to break down how I want to attack this team. I have a lot of confidence right now, so that should come through and help me throw a solid outing. For now, I'm off to half-price appetizers at Applebee's for a late dinner, should be delicious.

Sunday Doubleheader

2011-06-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we played a 2 game set. I showed up for Game 2 as I was in relief. Game 1 went really well and we ended up beating the team pretty badly, something like 12-1.

Our Game 2 starter did extremely well, as all our starters do. I came into the game in the 5th inning with 2 outs and got the batter to fly out to center after the previous batter hit one over our shortstop. I went into the 6th inning and started a kid off with a walk. I'm struggling with accuracy due to the lack of flat work away from the game, I'm getting my suitemates to work on that with me so I can stay sharp. I struck the next kid out on a fastball that froze him on the corner. My arm felt pretty alive yesterday and I felt like I was throwing hard, which isn't usually the case. The next kid flew out to right and we actually doubled the kid up at first, but the umpire decided to not watch the play. I battled the next kid for honestly 13 pitches, he fouled everything off to the right side. I fooled him with a splitter low and away, but the zone just wasn't there for the home plate umpire either. Runners on first and second, and I got the next kid to fly out to center. 1 hit, no runs, and a strikeout isn't too bad a day for me.

I start this Saturday, and will not be able to make it home for my brother's graduation party now. On the bright side, I finally get to start a game, but won't be able to see my friends or family at the party. I guess this is the price I pay for going 350 miles away to play baseball.

Friday Night

2011-06-18T16:17:00.001-07:00

Last night was pretty much a chill night, as are most of our nights. We were bored after hours of video games and eating, so we decided to go to a movie.

We went to the 11:40 pm showing of The Hangover 2. If you haven't seen it, it's the first Hangover in a different country. It was a decent laugh and after the day I had it was a mood fixer. Today we just hungout and went to Chipotle. I have a double header tomorrow and I will most likely see some work in relief until I know when my next start is. Hopefully soon.

First Win Today

2011-06-16T19:57:00.001-07:00

Today I was in the bullpen. I was told I'd be needed for 2 innings and possibly more. Our starter threw really well and by the 4th inning his pitch count was getting up around our team's limit. I hate pitch count, but in this league we try to get everyone work. I went to warm up in the bottom of the 4th and was in the next inning.

I walked the leadoff batter. I hate uttering those words but it happened. After a few hits and 2 awful calls in the field I gave up 3 runs. Not happy, I then realize our pitchers are hitting tonight due to a lack of players. We're now down one run and I'm up to bat. I worked myself into a 2-2 count against a D1 kid. I smoked the next pitch into right field. Opposite field hit. I continued to score a run and tied the game up.

The next 2 innings went smoothly and we were leading by 4 when I came out of the game. My first hit in 2 years got me a victory in a college-level game. Not a bad night

I'm writing this on my phone as we have a 1.5 hour drive back to our place. I'm pretty happy about tonight. Even though I struck out to a lefty throwing 90 the next at bat. Oh well. I got the win.

Relief Work Last Night

2011-06-16T11:05:00.000-07:00

Last night, I arrived at the field we were playing on and instantly discovered that there was a major key item missing. A bullpen. Being in relief for that game, I was pretty upset. However, I went through my normal pregame; stretching, joking, jogging, throwing, joking, sitting. Our starter threw a decent first few innings. He gave up a lot of balls and wasn't working ahead in the count, but got out of jams. Our second reliever threw just as well. By this point, I began to realize the number of pitchers we had on hand. I was called over by my coach and asked if I could sit this night out and be in first relief tomorrow (tonight). I figured, "I'm already sitting, so why not?"

However, by the time our 3rd reliever came in, his pitch count was getting rather high. I was told to stretch out and start throwing, with no bullpen. I threw about 30 balls to get loose and spun a few off speeds to get a feel for my pitches, and of course we go 1-2-3 at the plate. I was in. I was told I was only going to pitch to two batters so we could get our closer some work as well. I worked the first batter to a 3-2 count and got him to lazily fly out on a two-seamer inside which he fisted. The second batter should have struck out as I put a two-seamer by him twice. I went with slider in and he lazily flew out to left as well.

That was the extent of my time on the mound last night, I was pretty happy with the performance being as it was the first time on a mound at all during the game. I'm in long relief tonight and will surely see an inning plus. I'm excited as the team we're playing won the entire league last year. Should be a fun competitive game.

Game Today. Finally!

2011-06-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

It feels like it's been forever since I've been to a baseball game. With Sunday's games being cancelled, I've pretty much just been lifting and hanging out. Tonight it should be a perfect night for baseball. Playing under the lights is always fun no matter what game you're playing. I expect to throw one or two innings tops tonight as we have a lot of arms that need some work in. I've been keeping loose by throwing outside on our quad and doing a lot of band work. I really can't wait to throw tonight. I'll most likely post later tonight with how the game went and such. Until then, I'm off to find food.

Chilly Today

2011-06-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hey all, pretty cold today as the sun doesn't want to come out. Just got done at the gym and my room mate put me through a pretty solid rotator cuff band workout. We're going to do this about twice a week and hopefully it will put some good velocity on my fastball. My arm feels great after doing it and I can tell the tendons are getting stronger with each workout.

Tomorrow we play a night game and apparently I'm in the bullpen for this one. Most likely, I'll get two innings tops. I'll make the best of it and get some work in along with some side work in the bullpen working on keeping my mechanics in line. Can't wait to throw.

Good Day Today

2011-06-13T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a solid day. Had a great workout in the gym. One of those workouts where your entire body feels great after. The suitemates and I followed it up with a game of wiffleball outside our building. Good youth fun. Tomorrow should be good as we're working out and heading to the beach if the weather allows for it. It was cloudy all day. Hopefully I can get some tan going again.

Start Cancelled

2011-06-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, I woke up at 8:30 am with the intent of throwing game 2 of my double header only to find out that it rained through the night. Our games were cancelled. This is extremely frustrating to me as I have about a 36-hour pre game mentally. I take my starts pretty seriously as it's the only time I see the field as a player.

To fill the day out, my suitemates and I were going to lift over at the field house only to realize that it closed at 1 pm on Sundays. Not too happy about that, we searched for a gym somewhat near us. We found one 15 miles away. It worked out really nicely as the owner didn't even make us pay as long as we helped get his name out to people. Elite Fitness Center in New Jersey is a damn fine establishment.

Other than that, I'd like to congratulate my brother Ryan on graduating high school today. Wish I could have been there to see him walk, partly because there's a shot he would have tripped. He knows what this game means to me and he's fine with me missing a ceremony. We had our good times together in high school and that's more important to him.

Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who's called or texted me regarding this blog. Especially the post yesterday. I think it's something everyone needed to know as I'm kind of tired of telling the story, and I needed to get some feelings out. Have a safe weekend everyone.