Coaches often have a tendency to hyperbolize. But when Hotchkiss baseball’s Jason Yantzer said senior right-hander Patrick Sullivan “was on fire,” the only thing off about that statement was that Sullivan wasn’t literally in flames.
On Saturday, Sullivan no-hit Coal Ridge with 12 strikeouts against just two walks in a five-inning 19-0 win for the Class 3A Bulldogs. Oh yes, he also hit for the cycle. And was 8-for-10 on the day in a double-header sweep of the Titans.
“He had this look, like being in the zone look,” Yantzer said. “And he had this attitude. It wasn’t like a cocky attitude, it wasn’t an arrogant attitude. It was, ‘I’m in the zone.’ Everybody could see it in his eyes.”
But Sullivan said the prospect of a no-hitter “was in my head the whole game.”
“All my friends — usually people don’t talk about it — but they were just mentioning it all the time,” he said. “So I was like, ‘Oh. I’m not getting it.'”
As he was mowing through Titans batters in the first game, Sullivan’s bat was also heating up. He homered in his first at-bat, then tripled, followed that with a double and finished with a single.
“He was just crushing the ball all day long, line drive after line drive,” Yantzer said.
Even the home run was a lined shot.
“I was seeing everything well,” Sullivan said. “In batting practice, I knew I was going to have a good day.”
A four-year starter for the Bulldogs, Sullivan had 14-strikeouts in a game last season.
“A pretty dominating performance,” Yantzer said, “but nothing like this.”
Sullivan remained loose as the no-hitter progressed.
“He was right in the midst of everything,” the coach said. “He’s one of our team leaders, so he was continuing to support all the other kids — (messing around) in the dugout and having fun — yet you still knew that he was in his element.”
The performance has earned him a new nickname from teammates — “Mr. No-No.”
Sullivan throws in the low 80s with a solid breaking ball, Yantzer said.
“Last year, he struggled a little bit with control, but this year he’s a lot more on target,” Yantzer added, pointing to Sullivan’s 21 strikeouts this season vs. just five walks.
He’s been hearing for a few schools, specifically Northern Colorado.
“We’re on the Western Slope, so teams don’t talk to us that much,” Sullivan said. “Hopefully it’ll get Hotchkiss out — the name — and maybe I can play somewhere next year.”
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1893 or rcasey@denverpost.com
