Once one of Granby’s studs on the mound, Nolan Sullivan is back playing baseball in the Pioneer Valley not too far from his hometown.
The pitcher signed with the Valley Blue Sox on July 8 and got thrown into action pretty quickly. Sullivan debuted for Blue Sox two days later in the team’s Sunday contest against the Bristol Blues, where he relieved starting pitcher Brian Strange in the fourth inning. Sullivan threw three innings, striking out two and walking three.
He already had a spot in the Connecticut College Baseball League playing for the Western Mass Pioneers, but when his coach at Nichols College rang him up and told him that the Blue Sox were interested in bringing him on, the choice to come play in the NECBL was a no-brainer.
“It was a pretty easy (decision), just for the experience,” Sullivan said.
With the Blue Sox playing their home games at Mackenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Sullivan is playing much closer to home. There’s also a familiar face on the coaching staff – Granby baseball coach James Woods is an assistant coach this year. Woods coached Sullivan in high school and was delighted to see one of his former athletes back on a team with him.
“It was great. I was excited to see him be here and anytime we can get one of my old players in this league, it’s great,” Woods said.
Sullivan hasn’t seen a lot of time on the field just yet for the Blue Sox, but despite his limited appearances, Woods can already tell the improvements that the rising sophomore has made in one year of college ball. Sullivan appeared in five games as a freshman at Nichols, throwing five innings and collecting five strikeouts during his first year.
“He’s also just more mature. Size-wise, he’s thickened out and he’s gotten stronger just in the last year,” Woods said. “Definitely when you have a good defense behind you, things can work out for you well, gaps get cut down, outfielders and infielders make plays that they don’t normally make at a high school level.”
Sullivan is one of a few new pitchers that the Blue Sox have signed recently as they deal with some of their pitchers leaving the team or sidelined with injuries. It’s to be expected in a summer league like the NECBL – players from all different colleges have different plans for their summer competition, and different coaches may not want their players to be worn out by the time they return to their college teams.
“It’s just the nature of the beast at this point with injuries and pitch counts and pitch limits and things like that,” Woods said. “Especially the last four or five years, it’s more prevalent.”
Despite the circumstances, joining the team has been a big win for Sullivan, even though he only just started with his new squad. He’s been listening and learning a lot from his new teammates, especially those who are older and more experienced than he is.
“I just want to make sure I’m doing everything right and taking tips from everybody, because they know a lot and I just want to make sure like I’m soaking in what they know,” he said.
Sullivan joins new players like A.J. Guerrero (Washington) as the Blue Sox push through the final weeks of the regular season looking to secure a playoff berth in the postseason. Currently the Blue Sox are second in the West Division with a 15-16 record, 7½ games back from divisional rival Bristol. They’re currently tied for sixth overall in the league standings, and the regular season will conclude on the final day of July.