By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Franklin junior Jack Sullivan was coming off an impressive high school career with the Panthers where the shortstop was named to the Hockomock League All-Satr team while batting .358 with a .473 on base percentage. Sullivan had 29 hits (7 doubles and 2 triples) while knocking in 13 runs and scoring 17 himself. 

The lifetime baseball player was looking to improve his game, and one of his assistant coaches at FHS was also the Franklin American Legion Coach. He asked the shortstop to come out for the team. Sullivan liked the Franklin first-base coach and what he stood for, so he decided to take him up on the offer.

“Legion games are more competitive and good for my career,” Sullivan said. “I took the opportunity to develop my game more as a player, and that should help me with the ability to play college ball.”

Playing for Franklin High School, which tends to schedule quality opponents, Sullivan found that the competition was pretty similar on the American Legion level.

“The biggest difference between the two was that Legion has less pressure,” he said. “In high school you’re playing hard consistently while focusing on winning a State Championship for your school. Legion is laid back and much more fun based.”

At the time of this writing, the Franklin shortstop was batting .400 with three doubles, three RBI, three stolen bases and two runs scored in his first four legion games. It is right where the outgoing junior figured he’d be after leaving FHA and coming to the legion team.

“This is his first year with us, and I knew that he’d fit right in,” Franklin American Legion Coach Tyler Pasquarosa said. “He was the MVP of the junior select All-Stars. Defensively, he has made some fantastic plays at shortstop that have left the coaching staff in awe.”

Growing up, Sullivan found himself in many sports but always seemed to come back to baseball as his favorite. Originally playing for the Franklin Bulldogs, an AAU team, the Franklin resident patrolled centerfield, but it was during an all-star season in which his coach decided to try him out at shortstop.

“It was totally different from what I was used to in the outfield, but I found that I really enjoyed the position. As an athletic kid, I understand that the coach was trying to help the team,” he said. “The infield always seems to be active; you’re not just waiting around for something to happen, and that was ok with me.”

As the Panthers’ shortstop, Sullivan helped his team into the Division 1 State Tournament where, as the number 12 seed, Franklin would defeat Durfee 4-1 before going on to upset the number five seed Xaverian in the second round 5-3. Sullivan and company would then get edged out 2-1 by neighboring rival King Philip in a game that Sullivan and his teammates found discouraging, as it was a very winnable game that they let slip through their hands.

“We were only able to manage just one run; it was very frustrating,” Sullivan said. “We return a lot of starters from this year’s team and will be looking to flush that game and move on. Next year, we want to make a deeper run through the tournament.”

As a first-year starter for the Panthers, Sullivan found that his hard work paid off as he was named to the Hockomock All-Star team for the first time. Being named to the team, the incoming senior is hoping that he can continue to improve upon his play in the field come next season to help him get into college.

“It was a moment of realization,” Sullivan said. “College baseball is definitely something on the table. I am going to college showcases this summer and taking it one day at a time.”

Sullivan is hoping that the opportunity comes his way to play the sport he’s been playing for 13-some-odd years on the next level. He is currently looking and talking to coaches at a handful of colleges, all in the Northeast, where he is hoping to continue to play baseball. However, before he can get to college, he still has one final year in high school and one season with his Panther teammates on the diamond where they are hoping to bring a State Championship home.