Penn Hills grad Jordan Sullivan looks to hit books, baseballs at CCAC Boyce

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, June 19, 2022 | 11:01 AM

Purchase Photo Options

During his freshman and sophomore years at Penn Hills, Jordan Sullivan wasn’t dedicated to academics and his grades suffered. He spent most of his junior and senior years digging out of the hole.

“I obviously wasn’t putting the effort in,” said Sullivan, who graduated from Penn Hills this spring. “I needed to take an extra 30 to 45 minutes a day and focus on my schoolwork. My family was definitely there to support me, but I needed to do it on my own.”

When it came time to make a college decision, Sullivan’s grades ended up not being quite where he needed them to be. So Sullivan chose to take an option to stay close to home and play for a program that saw success last season in CCAC Boyce.

“I realized when they said take care of your grades early on, they mean it,” Sullivan said. “Baseball has always been a big thing for me. I want to get the best opportunity I can and get the best education I can.”

Sullivan had a solid senior season. It was a tough year for Penn Hills, which finished 3-14. Sullivan, who primarily played catcher but also pitched, was the Indians’ only Big 56 all-section player.

Sullivan had a .302 batting average and drove in eight runs for Penn Hills. He also scored seven runs and hit a home run.

CCAC coach Bill Spina said he liked Sullivan’s versatility.

“I talked to a few coaches in the area and saw him at a few clinics and liked what I saw,” Spina said. “He has a strong arm and has good hands. He improved both his pitching and catching. I liked his pitching as much as his catching.”

CCAC is coming off a season where it won the WPCC and Region XX crowns. The Wildcats finished two games short of going to the NJCAA Division III World Series.

CCAC also had player, Lawrence Bielawski, become the program’s first All-American since 1984. Sullivan had followed the program’s success.

What drew Sullivan to CCAC was Austin Long, who is now a coach at Murray State. He kept in touch with Long, who said that his assistant, Spina, would take over the program.

“I get along with Spina well,” Sullivan said. “I can relate to him. He sees great things for me.”

Sullivan had to work his way back to pitching. Playing in a fall ball game against Woodland Hills three years ago, he felt his elbow pop while he was pitching.

However, Sullivan was able to work back to be a strong player as a junior and senior.

“I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to pitch and catch in high school because of my injury,” Sullivan said. “I am thinking I can do both in college.”

Tags: Penn Hills