While writing this article about Gibby Sullivan ‘26, who took home a spot on the D3baseball.com Team of the Week for just the second time in program history last week, I checked my phone to see that he had left the park once again. I chose to rework the article, focusing not only on Sullivan’s spot on the nine-person team but also on his newfound power and success at the plate.
Bates Baseball had a tough weekend, dropping two high-scoring games at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in eastern New York. After batting .500 (4-for-8) with a go-ahead home run the previous weekend against Ferrum College, Gibby Sullivan ‘26 launched another two-run shot in the third inning before the Bobcats ultimately surrendered the lead.
Sullivan received consistent playing time his first two years at Bates, playing in seven games during his first year and 27 last year. But he had never hit a home run before last week.
Now, in just 16 at-bats, he’s rounded the bases twice. He credited his recent success to the number of at-bats he accumulated over the past year, stepping up to the plate roughly 170 times between last season at Bates and his summer stint in Syracuse, New York for the Syracuse Spartans.
“This year, I’m not pressing and trying to let the game come to me. The home runs are just a byproduct of that,” Sullivan said. “Plus, me and Brandon Biggane ‘25 have a friendly competition going over who can hit more bombs this year, so that’s definitely a motivator as well.”
Biggane, who’s hit 11 home runs in the past two years, tallied his first home run of the season last weekend, so that may be a fun race to watch.
Sullivan is not the first Mainer to be recognized by D3baseball.com. Chris Cimino ‘24 from Scarborough, Maine, was the first Bobcat ever to earn a spot on the Team of the Week in late February of last year. A Yarmouth native, Sullivan grew up just 20 minutes from Cimino and takes pride in representing his home state, which isn’t traditionally known for producing many collegiate athletes.
“He was the only other Mainer on the team my freshman year, something we’ve bonded over in the last couple of years,” Sullivan said about Cimino. “This is the most talented Bates team I’ve been on, so I’m confident that we’ll have plenty of guys winning awards throughout the season. Although, I guess it would be extra special if one of the other Maine guys, Kenny Carlisle [‘27], Nolan Hobbs [‘27], or David Swift [‘28], could take home another team of the week award.”
Bates Baseball hosts Saint Joseph’s College next Tuesday in their home opener, followed by a three-game series against MIT before kicking off their NESCAC campaign. Sullivan, joined by a core group of both Mainers and non-Mainers, will aim to continue earning both individual and team honors.
