Jackson grad, Tulane recruit reflects on short Catfish stint

Cape Catfish pitcher John-Paul Sauer greets a teammate after an inning during a game against the Burlington Bees on Tuesday, June 25, at Capaha Field.

Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Before recent Jackson High School graduate John-Paul Sauer leaves home to begin his new challenge as a college pitcher at a top-tier conference, he had to experience a taste of what is to come.

Fortunately for him, he didn’t have to go far for that experience.

Sauer joined the Cape Catfish after graduation and made three starts during the first half of the Prospect League season. All three starts were at Capaha Field, with his final start resulting in an 11-4 victory over the Burlington Bees on Tuesday, June 25.

In those three starts, Sauer allowed a total of three runs on nine hits with eight strikeouts in 17.2 innings.

He could not stick around for long, as the Tulane baseball program wanted their new recruits present on campus early to get them up to speed before the start of the new school year.

“The coaches were very adamant about the freshmen recruits coming in the summer just to be able to understand how it works down there,” Sauer said. “If we come in August with the guys that are returning, they’re gonna have a step above us. So it’s like every advantage that the coaches can give us, we’ll take it.”

His Catfish coaches were understanding.

“Forgive the pun but he has bigger fish to fry down there," Catfish manager Phil Butler said.

While the sample was small, he got everything he sought from his pre-college experience.

“I’m so glad I did it,” Sauer said. “I had to struggle so many times throughout these three games and it was needed because figuring out what pitch doesn’t work, because in high school, I could make mistakes and things would still go my way. Here, if I make a mistake, they’re either not swinging or they’re gonna hit it to the wall.”

Sauer saw that happen on the very first pitch he threw for the Catfish. His debut in front of 885 fans started with a solo home run in a 4-3 loss to REX Baseball on June 7. He still pitched well despite the loss and he left his second start with the Catfish leading 5-2 to the Pistol Shrimp.

“Having success in each of my three starts, which a lot is with the defense and not a lot of strikeouts,” Sauer said. “Just having the success gives me confidence for what I can do.”

His trial by error has led to Sauer shifting his identity as a college baseball pitcher. He has identified which pitches he got away with in high school and what pitches made him a threat to college batters.

“I think coming here and with the coaches and then the older players, they taught me I’m making baseball and pitching a lot more simple now than I did when I stepped in,” Sauer said. “If you can get that strike percentage to 65-70 percent, you are going to win ballgames no matter what.”

Another aspect about playing for the hometown Prospect League team that is underrated but valuable has been his opportunity to handle fame. While he pitched only three games, he was out and about in the dugout and bullpen, present to the scores of young fans who wanted to interact with a college baseball pitcher that is from the same area.

It was fitting that his final appearance before reporting to Tulane on June 28, was also the same day that the younger Jackson Tribe legion teams were invited to the game to watch a team that had a handful of Jackson High School alums.

A Catfish tradition was to have every player available for postgame autographs and pictures, providing Sauer with the experience of being a local sports celebrity.

“I’m blessed that little kids can look up to me that way,” Sauer said.

Sauer is a finalist for Comeback Player of the Year at the Semoball Awards, which takes place on July 12, at La Croix Church in Cape Girardeau. He returned to the mound after suffering a torn ACL during the football season in time to produce a resume that earned him SEMO Conference Pitcher of the Year.

While it takes a village to raise these star athletes, Sauer is finally ready to embark on this journey as his own man.

“I’ve leaned on a lot of people and my people have been very supportive of me, just making sure I’m good and I’m ready for the next step,” Sauer said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to be where I am right now. I’ll go down to Tulane and hopefully, I can lean on the teammates and coaches, different people down there, and just be able to be successful by asking for help.”