M. Sullivan Photography

B A S E B A L L

From Coach Sullivan (aka Mike/Dad)

A look back at the 2013 Little League Red Sox season offered highs and lows. The year began with practices in a gym amid a snowy April coating the ball park. This year I jumped into the head coaching role after assisting for years. The experience was extremely rewarding. Youth sports have changed tremendously since I was a child with many sports playing year round. In northern Minnesota, baseball is still a summertime sport and a favorite of mine. I instructed the kids at the beginning of the season to play hard, stay positive, have fun and the rewards will come.

Sebastian began his third and final year on the pitching mound leading his team to an opening day victory. After a roller coaster regular season of 18 games the team, now great friends, came together and made a memorable playoff run. The Red Sox played 5 games in 7 nights and finished with a solid 2nd place trophy.

Sebastian finished the year with a batting average over 400 and two unforgettable performances on the pitching mound. The first was 5 innings of shutout ball against the #2 seed Rays before reaching his pitch count limit of 85 pitches. His buddy came in to close the game and the Red Sox won the game 3-0.

In Sebastian’s second playoff appearance, he served up a gem. His first ever complete game – 6 innings, 22 batters, 4 strike outs and no walks. His pitch count when it was over – 63. We won 2-1 in a crazy nail-biter vs. the A’s. It was an elimination game for us and Sebastian stepped up big-time surrounded by a huge crowd of parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends and other coaches watching, including the league president, who personally congratulated him after the game. It was a double-elimination tournament so we needed to beat the A’s twice. This was the first. Unfortunately, the second night the Red Sox fell short, but it was a wonderful journey.

I’m really proud of Sebastian as a player, a teammate, and a leader. Awesome job! It’s been a fun ride in my last stint as head coach. Sebastian will move to the Juniors division next year.

Here are some photos from the playoffs.

And because playing for one baseball team wasn’t enough for Sebastian this year, here’s a peek at AllStars baseball.

See you at the field next year!

It’s nearly August. Where did July go? It’s been a great month, but it has definitely gone by too quickly. As with June, we spent a lot of time at the baseball field. With Sebastian playing on three teams, when I wasn’t cheering him on, I was washing his baseball uniforms. We did take a break from baseball on the 4th of July and played a little golf (mini golf for Sophia and me) and went to Bayfront Festival Park to enjoy some music and fireworks.

After a very late night, we all slept in and then packed for a weekend at Tom and Karen’s cabin. We enjoyed a nice sunset, the local wildlife and some boating/tubing.