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   SEAN
HARRELL - georgia college & state university
PING!BASEBALL DIVISION II SPOTLIGHT
Georgia College and State University’s
head coach Tom Carty has the unenviable, yet daunting tascek
of continuing the long standing winning hardball tradition
established in Milledgeville. Carty replad Chris Calciano
who averaged 44 wins in his three years heading the Bobcats
before moving t o
the major leagues and working for the Boston Red Sox. Coach
Steve Mrowka preceeded Calciano and took GCSU to the DII Championship
before taking over the head coaching duties at George Washington.
Before him John Kurtz was the main man in the dugout for 18
years, transforming the team from a 4-17 debacle his first
season into 50 game winners. Despite the tall order, Carty
has the team off and running literally and figuratively. The
Bobcats took third place in the Peach Belt Conference this
season, just two games behind the leaders, thanks in large
part to an attacking offense which outplayed and outhustled
opposition in almost every facet of the game.
One of the Bobcats’ leaders has been
outfielder Sean Harrell. Harrell, a junior biology/pre-med
major, has paced the offense with a team leading .346 batting
average and 28 stolen bases from the second spot in the lineup.
With his quick bat and even faster glove, Harrell has helped
his team jockey for national ranking consideration all season
long, playing just as crucial role on the team as Brooks Robinson
(well… no, not THE Brooks Robinson, but still a pretty
good player nonetheless).
As the 37-16 Bobcats prepare to play in the PBC Tournament
this week in Aiken, SC, Harrell took some time to answer some
questions from Ping!Baseball:
PING!BASEBALL: Aside from
the wins, what is the best thing about playing baseball at
GCSU?
HARRELL: The
best part of playing at GCSU has to be the camaraderie between
the team and the coaches. Everyone is on the same when it
comes to winning and just playing baseball the right way.
PING!BASEBALL: Yourself and your Bobcat
teammates have been running out of your shoes with over four
times as many stolen bases than your opposition. Is it safe
to say you have the green light when you are on the basepaths?
I take it aggressive baserunning is a critical part of Coach
Carty's offensive attack.
HARRELL: Yes.
Most of us have the green light on the bases. Running is a
crucial aspect in our game plan. Speed and aggression on the
base path “never slumps” as they say, so even
when our offense struggles, we try to make things happen on
the bases to make things easier for the hitters.
PING!BASEBALL: The team has been almost
unbeatable at home, yet near .500 on the road. Any theories
why you have to battle for wins away from Milledgeville?
HARRELL: To
be honest, I have no theories. Plain and simple, we just haven’t
been getting it done on the road. Hopefully that streak stops
soon.
PING!BASEBALL: You spend a lot of time playing,
practicing and traveling as a part of a college baseball team.
How does being involved in athletics affect you academically?
HARRELL: It
is definitely a struggle to balance school and athletics.
Baseball takes up so much time during the season, that it
is very difficult to maintain both at a high level. Most of
us study on the bus during road games to make up for the lost
time in the classroom, but its always hard having to come
home late at night with a test the next morning.
PING!BASEBALL: Your online bio states that
your favorite player is Jonathan Papelbon.
What is it about the BoSox reliever that appeals to you?
HARRELL: His
ability to block everything out in his mind. To enter the
game, in any situation and just be lights out every night.
He pitches well under pressure, which is always beneficial
in the post season.
PING!BASEBALL: If you're taking in a game
as a fan instead of playing in one, what do you load up on
while in the concession line?
HARRELL: I
like the old fashioned style of hotdogs and hamburgers, not
the steakhouses and dining halls you see at big league stadiums
these days.
PING!BASEBALL: What you find the more troubling
aspect of college baseball: The use of
aluminum bats, the designated hitter rule, an abundance of
doubleheaders or coaches wearing tight baseball pants?
HARRELL: The
doubleheaders are always rough especially when it gets hot,
but yeah, coaches in tight pants never makes for a good sight…I
think everyone would agree.
PING!BASEBALL: What are your plans for the
summer once the GCSU baseball season is over?
HARRELL: I
will be playing with the Danbury Westerners in the New England
Collegiate Baseball league starting in June, so that should
be a fun summer.
PING!BASEBALL: Do any of the following really
exist: ghosts, extra terrestrials, sasquatch or bad luck if
you step on the baselines when taking the field?
HARRELL: Not
sure about ghosts. Extra terrestrials and sasquatch are definitely
out there. And I wouldn’t know about the bad luck with
the baselines because I’m too afraid to step on them.
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