A day to remember for Seth Surrett! pic.twitter.com/IFRsILJDNd
— LIU Baseball (@LIU_Baseball) April 24, 2024
(Photo Credit: LIU Athletics)
While injuries are certainly a part of sports, those injuries are rarely extremely serious.
Baseball, not regarded as a contact sport, has made every effort to remove contact plays from the game such as plays at the plate and breaking up a double play.
One instance that is impossible to prevent is instances of players on the same team colliding at full speed. During a game last spring at Stony Brook, LIU outfielder Seth Surrett was seriously injured while colliding with his teammate who was also pursuing a fly ball.
Surrett broke his eye socket as well as parts of his jaw and cheekbone which caused him to miss 30 games.
Incredibly, Surrett not only homered in his second at bat back, but made a diving catch that landed him on Sportscenter’s Top 10 plays on May 5 against Coppin State.
This season, he is enjoying a career year as he is batting .333 over 39 games with a healthy .462 OBP. He has 4 HRs, 27 RBIs and scored 38 runs. He’s drawn more walks (31) than strikeouts (20). He had a career day on April 23 when he hit for the cycle.
Long Island University head coach Dan Pirillo had the following to say:
“Seth is a huge spark plug and source of energy for our team. He’s shown tremendous heart returning from the injury last year. As a coach, the way he plays the game will make you smile because you can tell how much he loves being out there.”
After getting off to a slow start in 2024, LIU has picked up steam. They are 18-6 in NEC play with 3 weekends remaining in the regular season. They will be looking to regain the magic from 2022 when they captured the NEC Championship against Bryant – winners of 9 consecutive regular season titles.
I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say..
Can you explain your experience with the college recruiting process and why you chose to attend LIU?
The college recruiting process for me was very simple since I was so late to showcase ball in high school. It was my junior year, and I just started playing summer ball. there were a couple of schools that wanted me, but I chose LIU. The reason why I chose LIU was because they had a great coach and just won the NEC Championship. I was excited knowing that I would have a chance to repeat that during my tenure here.
What was it like being a part of that 2022 Championship winning team?
The 2022 season as a player on the team was amazing because there was just a swagger in the way we played, knowing we were going to win it all. We all had one common goal; winning the NEC Championship. One emotion we had during the year was excitement because being able to show you are the best in the conference was a goal of ours.
Could you explain the injury that you endured and what it was like coming back?
The injury I had last year was a broken eye socket, part of my upper and lower parts of my jaw and part of my cheekbone. What I remember from the play is that on a windy day at Stony Brook, the ball goes up knowing that it’s going to be a tough play. The ball was getting knocked down by the wind. The second baseman and I were going for the ball. I went low and he went high. Then all I remember is waking up with my teammates around me and making sure I was okay. When I came back to practice, it was more of my body saying, “don’t do this again to yourself”, but I had to let my mind take over so I could get over it. Once I put the mask on, I felt like I could do anything because I felt protected. Physically, it was hard. I had lost so much weight from not being able to eat solids only liquids. I lost 22 lbs in the process. I felt so weak coming back to playing.
What are your goals after graduation?
My goals after graduation are, of course, to be able to have my dreams come true of getting drafted or, otherwise, to be able to do wealth management, as I’ve always wanted to help people manage their finances for themselves and their families. The most thrilling moment of my LIU career was winning the NEC title. Just being able to do it with a special group, knowing we were going to do it all along, was true happiness for me.
Who are some individuals who have helped you during your career?
Some individuals that have helped my playing career are all of my coaches, who’ve taught me the mental side of the game, knowing how to fail and keep grinding. Then Bentley Boekhout, E.J. Exposito, Nick Winterstein, Myles Proctor, Anthony Warneke, Jake Mastillo and Carlton Harper. These were teammates of mine to help me understand the game better and help me through day-to-day drills to get my game better. There are many more, but these were the most influential people who made me into the player I am today.
Did you play any other sports growing up?
I played football and basketball growing up. The main athletes I looked up to were LeBron James and Derek Jeter. These athletes were just the best of their sport at the time, knowing that winning championships for their organization.
What was the best baseball trip you’ve been on?
The best baseball trip I’ve been on was when I was around 14-15 years old. I toured Virginia University, played in the field with my travel team, and won the tournament there.
What did you work on this offseason?
What I worked on in the offseason was being able to see the off-speed pitches better by standing back more on my backside, trusting my hands and staying through the ball better than rolling over. Improving this has helped me a lot this year, as I’ve been thrown the most off-speed pitches in my career so far.
What was it like hitting for the cycle? Have you ever accomplished that before?
Hitting for the cycle was something I’ve never imagined myself doing in my life. It’s so rare to have to hit the ball square four times. That was the first time I’ve ever accomplished that in my life, and I’ll always remember it for the rest of my life.
Favorite musical artist?
Kanye West
Favorite movie?
Good Will Hunting
Favorite vacation spot?
France
Dream Car?
Mercedes G-Wagon
Favorite Restaurant?
Hill Country Barbecue Market; you’ll have to try for yourself.
