Sports Spotlight: Noah Sullivan, Dr. Phillips baseball

Dr. Phillips senior Noah Sullivan made his final season with the school’s baseball team count as he led the Panthers at the plate in batting average, hits, RBI and extra-base hits. After graduating, he will continue his playing career at USC-Upstate.
 

When did you first get into baseball?

It basically started right when I was born, honestly. All of my brothers played baseball, so that’s just what I’ve been doing since I was born.
 

What has kept you in the sport for so long?

Probably just the game itself. It’s always a challenge — you never have it figured out in baseball. You’re always chasing something — whether it’s hitting or pitching or whatever.
 

What is your favorite part about playing baseball? What’s the most challenging part?

My favorite part is definitely hitting — that’s my favorite. The most challenging thing is definitely the failure and being able to control yourself through those hard times and those slumps, but just trying to ultimately figure it out at the end of the day.
 

How do you get past a tough game or a slump?

The biggest thing is there are more things outside of baseball. You have friends, and you’ve got family, and you’ve got so much outside of baseball, as well as God. 
 

Last season ended prematurely because of COVID-19. What was it like for you and the team coming into this season?

It was hard last year. I actually, unfortunately, couldn’t play because I was hurt, but I got to play in the summer. But coming into the season was exciting, to say the least. Everybody just wanted to be there, be around the boys and hanging out and playing baseball again.
 

Did you have any goals coming into the new season?

The biggest thing was just leaving a legacy, (because) my family has been here almost a decade. Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get it done as a team, which was probably the worst part.
 

You led the Panthers in multiple hitting categories this season. How do you approach hitting?

The biggest thing is just having a simple approach — not thinking too much at the plate; and picking a pitch to do damage on and get some runners in, whether it’s a sac fly or just moving them over or whatever it is to help the team win.
 

What was your favorite part about playing at DP?

Probably just the family environment. Once Coach Evans got there, I think it kind of changed the culture for the better. Everybody was a lot closer, and it felt like a family.
 

You’re going to USC-Upstate to play baseball in the fall. What are you most excited about?

(I’m excited) for the level of play. Upstate has come a long way the past two years with the new coaches, and they’re really heading in the right direction.