Today, Sean Cody is big enough to put a charge into a baseball.
It wasn’t always that way.
“Coming into high school, it was pretty hard,” the Richards senior said. “I was super small.”
How small? “Around, like, 120, 130 (pounds),” Cody said.
Now the shortstop/pitcher is 5-foot-11 and 173 pounds with plenty of pop in his bat. It was on display on March 24, when Cody hit for the cycle in the Bulldogs’ 8-5 win over visiting Chicago Christian.
Cody, who is committed to UIC, legged out a double to short right in the first, tripled to right-center in the third, beat out an infield single in the fourth and slugged a three-run homer into the trees beyond the left-field fence in the sixth.
“It was a great feeling,” he said of the home run. “High energy at the time. Tie game, needed some runs.”
Richards coach Jeff Kortz wasn’t surprised that Cody’s speed was a big factor in three of his hits.
“He hits it and goes,” Kortz said. “He’s one of the top five baserunners we’ve probably had here, and we’ve had some pretty good instinctive baserunners.
“And being up (on the varsity) for four years, he kind of gets it. … Anytime he hits the ball to right-center, it’s got a shot to get out (or) he’s got a shot for a triple out of it.”
Cody isn’t going far to continue his career next season, having committed to UIC.
“The recruiting process, it was stressful,” he said. “It’s hard trying to find a place that fits you best — coaches and everything to put into consideration.
“But UIC, I love the coaches, love the field. I love being in the city. The atmosphere is great. Every player that’s ever played there has told me great things about it. I’ve never heard anything bad.”
Kortz likes the fit for Cody at the local college program.
“Coach (Sean McDermott) does a good job with those guys,” Kortz said. “We’ve known him for a long time with going down to showcases and stuff. I think Sean will have some success down there with them and do some good things.”
Though Cody has been a polished player for a while, he’s still improving.
“He just keeps getting stronger,” Kortz said. “He’s always working. If I don’t open up the weight room, he’s going somewhere else to get in the weight room.”
Cody is upbeat about the Bulldogs’ chances of putting together another good season this year after going 19-8-1 overall and 12-5 in the South Suburban Red last spring.
“The offseason was great,” he said. “Always high energy, everyone was at practice, nobody missed anything.”
As far as goals? “We want to win conference,” Cody said. “It’s been a while since Richards won conference, but this year I feel really strong about that.”