« Baseball 2013

John Sheridan

School
Brown
Position
Outfield
Major
Public Policy/Economics
AVG
.245
R
10
H
23
FLD%
.988
RBI
7

Classroom

A Public Policy and Economics double concentrator, Sheridan has maintained an impressive 3.67 GPA while excelling in classes such as Moral Philosophy, International Finance, International Trade, Financial Accounting and Logic. In 2012, he earned first team CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District honors, recognizing his performances in the classroom and on the baseball diamond. Additionally, in March of 2012, Sheridan became the recipient of the Royce Fellowship for Sport and Society, an honor awarded by Brown University’s Swearer Center for Public Service. This distinguishes him as a member of a community of scholars that engage in a forum for reflection, inquiry and intellectual engagement. Sheridan, who is fluent in Spanish, also serves as a tutor at Brown, assisting fellow student-athletes with their economics and political science courses on a weekly basis.

Character

According to head baseball coach Marek Drabinski, “Sheridan represents the four components of this award like no other player I have coached in my 17 years at Brown. This past summer, he demonstrated his commitment to the local community by establishing the BASES Program, giving inner city youth in Providence a chance to be part of a baseball team. He developed the logo, created uniforms, provided a facility and served as the lead instructor, working with his Brown teammates to teach these young students, not only about baseball, but life. He gave them a chance to fulfill their dream of playing baseball in a league, while also teaching them about teamwork, unity, hope and making the right decisions every day. I saw his work first hand, and was awestruck by his impact. In addition, he has taken leadership of Brown’s baseball team from the very beginning of the fall. Last spring, he was having the best season of his life until he separated his shoulder twice in the same game and had to miss the next 20 contests. He came back to play against Yale during the final weekend of the season, even though he was clearly not playing at 100 percent. Even when he was injured, he was at every practice, game and lifting session. He is our leader, one of our best players and a true example of what being a student-athlete means.”

Community

In 2012, Sheridan founded the Baseball Academy for Sustaining Education in Sport (BASES), a nonprofit organization that seeks to reduce the high school dropout rates among Providence’s inner city youth while also improving college access. Using a grant from Brown’s Swearer Center, he developed a three-year mentoring program that employs a unique curriculum designed to improve access to college advising resources and counseling in conjunction with baseball skills development. This past summer, he coordinated and directed a kick-off event for the mentoring program. The 10-day baseball/academic advising camp for urban student athletes was called the “College Baseball Experience”, and allowed the participants to meet potential mentors in a baseball specific setting. Sheridan is currently finalizing plans to bring the BASES program to East Palo Alto, California. In addition to the work that he has done for his own organization, he has maintained a four-year relationship with the students at the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School, an inner-city school in Providence, as part of a department initiative to match the university’s student-athletes with local children. Sheridan and his teammates have spent time in first and second grade classrooms each week, tutoring and serving as role models for the young students. Finally, he has volunteered with InVision, a group in his hometown that makes and distributes Thanksgiving lunch and dinner for the homeless, since 2006.

Competition

Sheridan has made a significant impact on the Brown baseball program from the time that he stepped onto the field as a freshman, proving his skills as both a center fielder and a hitter. Earning second team All-Ivy honors during his sophomore season, he appeared in 37 games, batting a .310 in conference action with 18 runs, 39 hits, five doubles and nine RBIs. He also turned in a .352 slugging percentage and a .380 on-base percentage in Ivy League action, and a .971 fielding percentage overall. Additionally, Sheridan stole 23 bases in 24 attempts, including a perfect 13-for-13 in league games, ranking him first in the conference by a five-base margin. During his junior campaign, Sheridan posted a .315 batting average in 30 games, making him the Bears’ second best hitter, before injury kept him out for the remainder of the season. He tallied 14 runs, 35 hits, six doubles, two triples, one home run and 13 RBIs, while also compiling a .432 slugging percentage and a .350 on-base percentage. He made no errors on the field during his abbreviated season, and finished third in the conference with 12 stolen bases out of 16 attempts.