27 June 2007

Commodores’ Hunt is shooting for stardom

By Don Sherlock
GateHouse News Service
Wed Jun 27, 2007, 03:07 PM EDT 

Cape Cod - Jeff Trundy is in his ninth season as Falmouth Commodores manager. He knows a good thing when he sees it and he likes what he sees in right-handed pitcher Shooter Hunt.

    "He's not only a good pitcher," says Trundy, "he's a good kid." 

    Trundy also knows when to step in and when to step away. "I don't bother him; he gets in a zone before he pitches and you don't talk to him." 

    Hunt mixes a 90-plus miles per hour fastball with a curve that could freeze a heat wave. Back for his second season, the 6-foot-3 200-pounder led all Cape League pitchers last season with 54 strikeouts in compiling a 3-0 record and 3.38 ERA. That earned him the No. 9 prospect in the league rating by Baseball America. 

    And he jumped off to a good start last week against defending champion Yarmouth-Dennis, striking out seven, giving up three hits and one run — a homer to left-centerfield by red-hot Gordon Beckham, who is hitting well over .400 — in four innings. 

    "I was fairly pleased," Hunt says of his performance. "I've been dying to get back on the mound since our [Tulane] season ended, and it felt great to finally be out there again. Even though we eventually lost, there were a lot of positive things that were seen in all aspects of the game, and I'm positive that we will turn things around very soon. 

    "I'm never satisfied with what I do out on the mound," he says. "I think that's what makes me so eager to get to the next outing, and to put in the work needed in-between starts. I think I made a few good pitches, but also a few bad ones, so there is definitely a lot of room for improvement."

    So how did Steven Daniel Hunt get the name "Shooter"? "The movie "Hoosiers" came out right around when I was born, and my father saw it, and heard the nickname of Dennis Hopper's character "Shooter" and knew it was the perfect name for a son."

    Hunt says both his parents have had a big influence on his life, especially throughout high school. "My Dad was my high school baseball coach, so he obviously played a huge role, but my Mom played an equal role as a getaway from all the chaos that living with a coach can sometimes bring."

    A pitcher-catcher in high school, he was coached by his father Mickey. During the Area Code Games workout at the University of Virginia in 2004, the high school junior was told he had to pick one position and opted for catcher. 

    All the pitchers had shown their stuff, but one catcher needed to be evaluated. So Hunt offered to pitch, struck out three of the four batters he faced, and a future on the mound was all but sealed as he was named the No. 1 prospect at that event. 

    "I think that many coaches on the college level saw me as more of a threat on the mound than behind the plate, and that was the main reason," says Hunt of his current role. "However, I truly miss catching, and still have an itch to get behind the plate again and be an 'everyday player.'"

    An honor student in high school, Hunt picked the University of Virginia for its combination of strong academics and athletics. 

    But he left Virginia after his freshman year because he wanted to be a starting pitcher and his role had been defined as a reliever. He had appeared in 17 games, striking out 33 batters in 34.1 innings. 
When he came to the Cape League last summer, Hunt already had decided to transfer to Tulane. Some Commodore players from Tulane reinforced his decision about the school and the program. "Aja [Barto] was a huge part of my transferring because of the time we had spent together at the beginning of the summer," says Hunt. He also cites Brandon Gomes "because of his experience and the passion that he had for Tulane" ... and Sean Morgan "because I saw how hard he worked to be as good as he is."

    Happy with his decision, Hunt posted a 6-6 record at Tulane. And two of his Green Wave teammates - outfielder Barto and pitcher Preston Claiborne are back with him this season. 

    Commodores' pitching coach Matt Ranson says Hunt "has a routine and I don't say a lot as long as he's on schedule. He works hard. Good things happen to him for a reason; he's had success and he's deserved it."

MIGHT NOT USE THIS
Shooter Hunt's high school achievements 
All-league, all-county basketball 
Two-time all-league and all-county baseball 
All-New Jersey baseball as a senior 
New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year 
Louisville Slugger New Jersey Player of the Year 
No. 81 ranked prospect by Baseball America 
No. 71 ranked prospect by Team One Baseball 
No.16 ranked prospect at Perfect Game/Baseball America World Wood Bat Association Fall Championship 
No.23 ranked right-handed pitcher in the country by Team One Baseball 
No. 1 ranked prospect at Team One South Showcase (2004) 
No. 1 ranked prospect at SelectFest Showcase (2004) 
Participated in East Coast Professional Showcase (2004) 
Participated in Area Code Games (2004) 
National Honor Society