Pitch to Hillcrest's Sulentic At Your Own Risk

Since it's been a topic of discussion about whether you should or should not pitch to Matt Sulentic I though I'd post a great article from the Dallas Morning News. Way to go Matty!


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Pitch to Hillcrest's Sulentic At Your Own Risk - Area Triple Crown was a breeze for Hillcrest's Sulentic

11:19 PM CDT on Monday, May 8, 2006
By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News


Let's start with Hillcrest star Matt Sulentic's stupendous stats:

• .676 batting average

• 19 home runs

• 58 RBIs

The Texas A&M recruit cruised to the area Triple Crown. Only one other area player finished the regular season with a batting average better than .600. Nobody else reached the teens in home runs or surpassed the 50-RBI milestone.

Throw in every area Class 5A and 4A player from the last decade, and Sulentic still wins the Triple Crown. Coppell's Jason Stokes, who hit 19 homers in 2000 and now plays for the Florida Marlins' Triple-A team, is the only player from that span to match Sulentic in any of the three categories.

Some will discount Sulentic's accomplishments because he faced weak competition in District 10-4A, although Hillcrest played a difficult nondistrict schedule. But Sulentic, who hit 10 of his homers against nondistrict foes, has the respect of Highland Park. Hillcrest faces Highland Park in a 4A Region II area-round series beginning Thursday.

"He's probably the best pure hitter I've ever seen," said Highland Park ace Clayton Kershaw, a fellow A&M recruit who played select ball with Sulentic. "People don't give him enough credit ... but he's got so much hand speed and works so hard."

Added Highland Park third baseman Justin Walker, another A&M recruit and select teammate: "If I had to list one guy who works the hardest at hitting, it'd be Matt. I've never seen a guy with such work ethic."

Sulentic is the first 5A or 4A player to win an area triple crown in his classification since Roosevelt's Edward Randolph in 1992. But the admiration of his peers makes him prouder than any statistic.

Sulentic said he always knew he could be one of the state's premier players. But he also knew he'd have to work harder than everybody else to achieve it – and produce more to prove it.

"I just try to leave as little doubt in people's minds as possible," Sulentic said. "That's what always drove me."

Sulentic stood 5-6, 127 pounds when he hit .533 as a freshman. He still isn't very big at 5-10, 170 pounds, but he is extremely strong for his size. That's the result of sticking to a schedule of seven intense weight-training sessions per week. He wakes up at 5:30 a.m. three times per week and works out at 8 p.m. four times.

Sulentic is especially strong in his hands, wrists and forearms – the most important body parts for a hitter. He attributes that to taking more than 1,000 swings per week in the batting cage. It also explains his power surge. Sulentic had only five career home runs before this season.

Corey Dollar, Hillcrest's other four-year starter, accompanies Sulentic to the batting cages at Dallas Baseball Academy of Texas during their free class period before practice. They also go most evenings after practice. Dollar said most sessions end with him worn out, watching Sulentic take more cuts.

"You can't be good at hitting unless you work at it," Sulentic said. "I always thought, 'That's my ticket.' So I became very obsessed with it."

A&M coach Rob Childress credits work ethic for making Sulentic a player prepared to contribute for the Aggies as a freshman next season. Childress is concerned, however, that Sulentic won't make it to College Station.

Sulentic said he hopes to get drafted "high enough where I have a choice to make." An area scout for a National League team said he expects Sulentic to go between the sixth and 10th rounds in June's draft.

Scouts love Sulentic's commitment to the game and his compact left-handed swing. They aren't sure about which position he would play in the pros.

Sulentic has played shortstop and center field at Hillcrest. Scouts have had him take ground balls at second base.

He gives the same answer every time a scout asks which position he prefers: "I like hitting."


SULENTIC'S STATISTICS
Year AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB AVG
2003 75 34 40 14 3 1 24 14 .533
2004 84 28 39 9 10 2 27 16 .464
2005 86 34 44 15 6 2 29 20 .512
2006 74 47 50 5 8 19 58 17 .676
Total 319 143 173 43 27 24 138 67 .542


CROWN PRINCE - The top area 5A and 4A producers in the Triple Crown categories during the last decade:

BATTING AVERAGE
Player, School Year Avg.
Matt Sulentic, Hillcrest 2006 .676
Jason Andrews, FW SW 2001 .658
Jose Salazar, W.T. White 2002 .606
Jose Salazar, W.T. White 2000 .600
Danny Frisby, Bry. Adams 2004 .594

HOME RUNS
Player, School Year No.
Matt Sulentic, Hillcrest 2006 19
Jason Stokes, Coppell 2000 19
Chris Durbin, Wylie 1999 14
Paul Kelly, Flower Md. 2005 12
Rick Harrison, Car. N. Smith 1998 12
Andrew McGuire, Sherman 1999 12

RBIS
Player, School Year No.
Matt Sulentic, Hillcrest 2006 58
Rudy Robles, Roosevelt 1999 54
P.J. Garrison, FW E. Hills 1999 52
Jason Stokes, Coppell 2000 51
Josh Moody, W.T. White 1999 50
Martin Torres, Roosevelt 1999 50

Note: Statistics do not include postseason games.



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