GLEN CARBON - Junior AJ Sutberry is enjoying the ride alongside his Father McGivney baseball teammates this season.
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The Griffins are off to a 13-0 start after a 10-1 win over the Staunton Bulldogs Wednesday afternoon.
In that game, AJ went 1-4 with four RBIs. He hit a bases-clearing double in the fifth inning to go ahead 8-1. It was his fourth extra-base hit this season.
AJ is a Byron, Carlson, Petri, and Kalb Athlete of the Month for Father McGivney.
"I had a really solid day," he said after the win over Staunton. "I'm happy I got to help the team out and get the win. Get a little break and we can get back at it."
His team remains undefeated heading into the Easter holiday, and it doesn't come as a surprise.
He says that he and the team have put in a lot of work to get the results in the first third of this season.
"We've been working all winter. We've been training every day and been expecting it," he said.
"We went down to Memphis and had a really good tournament that boosted our momentum and we're just going to take it into the rest of the season, and see where it takes us."
The Griffins won the USA Classic down in Tennessee last weekend and beat some stellar competition along the way. They beat local powerhouses CBC and Edwardsville en route to the championship.
"It really puts into perspective of how we can play with any team. Our talent is good enough to play with anybody. I think that we're ready for anything."
Still, AJ says the team is taking it day by day, a similar message during last year's 28-game win streak.
"We're just going to stay loose, play our game, and see how far it takes us."
Last season AJ had 39 hits and was batting .339. This year he's got a .357 average batting in the eight-spot.
AJ plays with his little brother Reilly who's a sophomore.
"It's really fun," AJ said about playing alongside his little brother. "It's good seeing him every day in the dugout, having fun with everyone else and it's just good bonding."
AJ and the Griffins will be back at home on Monday, April 10, when they host Piasa Southwestern at 4:30 p.m.
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