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07/28/2016 12:00 AMThe Shoreline Cougars 18-U AAU baseball team is comprised of players from several area towns, including Killingworth, Old Saybrook, Deep River, Essex, and Chester. Tyler Popp, who hails from Killingworth, is the starting catcher and also a captain for the Cougars. Tyler is enjoying his experience as a member of a team that features a mix of athletes who he’s both played alongside and competed against in the high school ranks. Now, they’re all joining forces to help the Cougars have a solid season.
“It’s great to be on a team with so many players I know from high school, but it’s also exciting to play with guys like Nash Eppard [from Valley Regional] and Scott Masse [of Old Saybrook] because I’ve seen them and played against them,” says Tyler, who will be a senior at Haddam-Killingworth High School this fall. “To combine [H-K] with such talented players from other towns makes for a pretty dominating team and I really enjoy catching Nash. He’s going to play [Division I] in college [at Bryant University in Rhode Island], so I get to see where I will project at that level and get to work with someone of that caliber.”
Thus far this summer, the Shoreline Cougars have a record of 13-5-1 and are in third place in their league. Tyler is one of the squad’s top hitters as he owns a .374 batting average with 12 walks and 12 RBI. He’s also thrown out five would-be base stealers from his catcher’s position.
“I love throwing guys out. It’s an amazing feeling, especially at second base. It’s hard to do and I don’t know if people realize how much time and technique you have to put in to do it,” Tyler says. “The play only takes two seconds, but there is so much preparation that goes into it to make it successful. I throw out close to 50 percent of the base stealers, so it’s not perfect, but I’m working on it.”
A key component of Tyler’s prowess behind the plate is the fact that he calls the games by deciding what the Cougars’ pitchers will throw. It’s a task that’s often carried out by coaches at this level, but Cougars’ Coach Dennis Annicelli says that Tyler does an excellent job of handling that responsibility on his own.
“Tyler is such a phenomenal catcher, it’s hard to not put him back there every game. He controls the game and is a really good leader. He is so in touch with the pitchers, I let him call the games now,” Annicelli says. “If the count is one ball and two strikes and I’m thinking curve, he’s thinking the same thing. We are always on the same page and he’s so advanced mentally for someone his age.”
Tyler has been catching since Little League and the position runs in the family as Tyler’s father William caught for the Division I program at Adelphi University, while his younger brother Justin is a catcher for both Shoreline and H-K. Catcher is a grueling position to play, although Tyler has the toughness to deal with the bumps and bruises, as well as the baseball IQ to call the shots.
“My dad played in college and has given me a lot of advice and it’s also the only position I’ve really ever played. It’s without a doubt the most difficult position to play on the field. You get beat up, have to be involved in every play, and I’m always instructing guys on what to do for certain situations. You see the whole field and have to get guys in position. There is a lot of pressure because the position gets a lot of attention and your mistakes are magnified,” says Tyler. “I also call the games, which is very rare, because Dennis respects my knowledge and ability. You have to be smart to play catcher and see what pitches are working. If a guy swung at a high fastball earlier in the game, you have to remember that and use it later. If a pitcher’s curve is on and his changeup isn’t working, you need to know where and when to pick your spots, exploit the situation, see patterns and hitter’s weaknesses.”
Tyler’s intellect is also evident in the classroom as he takes honors and Advanced Placement courses at Haddam-Killingworth. Tyler, who’s a member of the Human Relations Club, which strives to make the student environment a better place at the high school, scored a 1,350 on his SAT. Coach Annicelli praises Tyler for his work ethic in all walks of life.
“Tyler is very smart and talented, but he also works extremely hard on and off the field. He’s here in the middle of the summer an hour or more before every game, hitting and working on his technique behind the plate,” Annicelli says. “I met him when I was an umpire for travel leagues and coached him a little with pitchers and catchers before the high school season and at tryouts [for HK baseball]. He even caught a state championship game as a freshman, which is pretty incredible. Tyler just does a wonderful job all around.”
Tyler will be one of the captains for Haddam-Killingworth next spring. This past season, Tyler batted .438 with 35 hits, 13 doubles, one home run, and 26 RBI. He also walked 11 times and scored 20 runs to go with an on-base percentage of .538, plus a slugging percentage of .638. Tyler garnered All-Shoreline Conference honors by virtue of his performance and he was also chosen to play in the Junior Select All-Star Game. Tyler, who’s started since he was a freshman at H-K, is already excited for his senior year and ultimately wants to play Division I in college.
“My goal is to play college baseball someday and I’d like to do it at the DI level, but academics comes first,” Tyler says. “I’d like to find a school that has high standards in the classroom and a solid baseball program on the field.”