For an athlete, any injury can prove to be disastrous. But for this left-handed Spartan pitcher, an elbow injury suffered in his freshman year of high school just may catapult him to the Majors.
“Once I came back from that [elbow] surgery, [baseball] kind of took off for me,” said junior Sean Bierman. “I started playing real well. It really made me start taking care of my body, preparing myself better and working out harder so it never happened again, knock on wood.”
A New Jersey native, Bierman started playing baseball as a child so he could be with his friends. He only realized his outstanding abilities for the game when he started playing at a more competitive level.
“I was just playing for fun and I didn’t realize [until] sophomore year of high school that I could even do this past high school,” Bierman said.
Bierman attended Kinnelon High School in his home town. He was the captain of the baseball team for both his junior and senior seasons, and was selected as a first-team all county player. Bierman also played in the summer for a well-known national club, the Bayside Yankees, and Coach Mark Cuseta.
“The coach heard about me [via] word of mouth,” Bierman said. “He came out, watched one of my games and I started playing for them because of their reputation with getting guys into college baseball and professional baseball.”
Bierman and the Yankees won the Premier League Senior Championships in both 2006 and 2007. After his stint with the Bayside Yankees and his high school career was over, Bierman had to choose between playing professional ball or moving on to college. Drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 42nd round, Bierman, along with his parents and advisor, decided he would only go pro if the Reds offered him a contract with a dollar amount he couldn’t refuse.
“To get anything less than that would be stupid to forego an education,” Bierman said. “That was the decision-maker.”
After Cincinnati did not match his price, Bierman decided to become a Vanderbilt University Commodore. Though the school is well-known for its outstanding Disivion I baseball team, Bierman clarified that baseball was not the only reason he chose Vanderbilt.
“Going into it from the outside, it’s an unbelievable academic school,” Bierman said. “That was very important to me; academics [were] always first.”
In his freshman year as a Commodore, Bierman struck out 23 batters in 16 and two-thirds innings. For his sophomore campaign, he threw 43 and one-third innings in 15 appearances, striking out 37.
In the summer between his sophomore and junior years, Bierman realized his success on the field did not translate to being happy at Vanderbilt.
“There was nothing really [about] the baseball aspect that pushed me away,” Bierman said. “It was just the enjoyment of being at that school and being at the baseball field. It felt like work rather than fun. I think that’s what pushed me away more than anything.”
Bierman put together a list of options as to where to transfer. With UT at the top of his list, he visited campus and met with Head Coach Urso and Associate Head Coach Militello. After his visit, Bierman felt that Tampa was a good fit.
As a Spartan, Bierman is 2-1 with a 4.50 era and 11 strikeouts in three appearances, all of which have been starts.
After this season, Bierman will once again be draft eligible. For now though, he says he is focused on other issues.
“Right now, I’m just worried about winning a ring for the school and for our team,” Bierman said. “If I pitch well and can our help our team win, then everything else should fall into place.”
About a quarter of the way through the season, the Spartans hold a winning record. Bierman likes the middle of the lineup in terms of hitting and feels good about this team’s pitching depth.
He believes that with a little improvement, the Spartans have a legitimate shot at winning the national championship this year.
“I think we have a strong squad,” Bierman said. “I think if our defense gets a little stronger, we’re [going to] have a chance to win this whole thing.”
Tampa still has a long road ahead if they want to bring home the title. While they have already taken four out of seven games from a ranked opponent, their real test will come in March when they begin to play their Sunshine State Conference rivals, starting with Eckerd. To help the Spartans go all the way this year, Bierman’s personal goal is simple.
“The only expectation [I have] is to win games that I’m playing in and helping the team when I’m sitting on the bench and just rooting everybody on.”