Kyle and Jake Supran, twins that attend Plainview-JFK, are hungry to be a part of their school’s first league title since 2004.
Upon graduation, they will continue their playing careers and education at Ursinus College. I had the chance to speak with Kyle and here’s what he had to say.
Come out Long Island’s best players on June 5 at Dowling!
When did you realize baseball was your best sport? Did you play anything else growing up?
We’d have to say that early on ice hockey was our number one sport until we got to higher levels of play in both sports. At that point we realized
that we really had to dedicate much more of our time and focus on one. Once we committed to that, we knew baseball was going to be our top choice.
that we really had to dedicate much more of our time and focus on one. Once we committed to that, we knew baseball was going to be our top choice.
Is there a friendly competition between you two, especially when training?
Whenever we train together, there is always a competition. Not on paper, but we’ve always tracked who can get more hits, throw harder, lift more and so on. The competition between us really pushes us to that next gear to go past our own limits in order to be even more successful.
Who are some athletes you look up to?
There are definitely favorite athletes like a Derek Jeter or Jonathan Toews, guys who are natural leaders and represent their sport the right way.
But the most impactful people around us are our baseball mentors here on Long Island. Coach Lou Bernardi currently at LIU Post, who’s first coaching job was actually with our first team in travel baseball and has remained one of our trainers- 10 of those original 14 players from our 13u team will be playing athletics at the next level. We’ve stayed in very close contact and hearing him talk about the mental approach to baseball was extremely helpful. Nick Kennedy, who played and recently graduated from Muhlenberg College who’s been a hitting coach for us and really introduced us to the opportunity to play baseball in a high academic setting. His advice both on
& off the field has been invaluable. We also appreciate Coach Frank Bodner who always stressed academics which allowed us to explore opportunities that 2-3 years ago, we would have never considered. All of which helped in our decision of where we would end up. These are truly people to admire.
& off the field has been invaluable. We also appreciate Coach Frank Bodner who always stressed academics which allowed us to explore opportunities that 2-3 years ago, we would have never considered. All of which helped in our decision of where we would end up. These are truly people to admire.
Was it always your plan to go to college together?
Our goal all along was to have an opportunity to go away and be able to play together. In our search for colleges, we put into account that there needed to be a big city nearby. We’re committed to Ursinus College, outside Philadelphia.
Most people will say, “Oh, where’s that?” or “What did you just say?” But it doesn’t bother us. They didn’t hit our radar until very late in our college search. They compete in the Centennial Conference against schools like Johns Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Haverford, etc…At an academic showcase towards the end of August, we met Coach Exeter who was very enthusiastic about the program and what the school had to offer. We kept in contact and then were invited to their Fall Showcase. We also took a tour and did an overnight there with current players, the same weekend. The school was beyond beautiful and we were very impressed with how almost every student there was
wearing some sort of Ursinus sports gear. After talking to some of the
students and student-athletes, they said the student body is very tight knit and attendance/support at all sports is big. A few weeks later, I gave coach a call and told him we were in!
wearing some sort of Ursinus sports gear. After talking to some of the
students and student-athletes, they said the student body is very tight knit and attendance/support at all sports is big. A few weeks later, I gave coach a call and told him we were in!
What are your goals for 2016 and beyond?
Our primary goals for 2016 are to win the League AA-3 title for the first
time since 2004 at Plainview JFK, make it deep into the county tournament, and make a run at a county championship. It all starts with the first game though. You can’t look ahead and you have to focus on the games one at a time. Beyond college we would like to work in the field of marketing and/or advertising possibly for one of the big media companies or in sports.
time since 2004 at Plainview JFK, make it deep into the county tournament, and make a run at a county championship. It all starts with the first game though. You can’t look ahead and you have to focus on the games one at a time. Beyond college we would like to work in the field of marketing and/or advertising possibly for one of the big media companies or in sports.
