Joe Simourian ’18 will play baseball for the Naval Academy starting this fall.
Co-Captain Joe Simourian ’18 hails from Andover, Mass. and has been an integral part of Andover Boys Varsity Baseball since his Junior year. Now, as a captain, Simourian is known for both his skill and his ability to bring the team together through his energy and leadership.
According to Simourian, growing up in a family full of baseball players sparked his career.
“[I] come from a baseball family. My grandfather played baseball in college, my dad played in college, my brother got into it early — I have an older brother. So, that obviously influenced me to play more of it early and that just sort of got me into it,” said Simourian.
Baseball has also made a large impact on Simourian’s values and understanding of being on a team.
“It’s taught me a lot of leadership and a lot of patience, as well as… I don’t know if there’s a word, but just the importance of being part of a team, and selflessness, on top of the importance of energy and enthusiasm and the role that it plays in a game such as baseball and in everyday life,” said Simourian.
According to Simourian, energy and enthusiasm, in addition to teamwork, are essential to having a successful team.
“Well, it’s important to have energy and enthusiasm because, without energy and enthusiasm, you can’t really accomplish anything. If your team doesn’t have the energy or the enthusiasm, they’re gonna be less motivated to make the play that’s there and even the play that’s not there, that they can try to make if they have the motivation,” said Simourian.
He continued, “And just, baseball, it seems like at face value, it could be an individual sport, but it’s not at all — everyone needs to be on the same page at the same time. And, you need to be familiar with everyone and how they’re going to react to certain situations so you can be prepared for every possible situation.”
It was this spirit and leadership that led to Simourian being elected co-captain for this year, according to Tristan Latham ’19.
“I think he’s really stepped into his role as a captain this year. He’s done a really good job of leading by example, as well as getting other guys on the ball and what we need to do… [He’s] always working hard, always ready to do anything… he’s a goofy dude that does everything to the max,” Latham said.
Simourian pointed to the two Central New England Prep championships Andover has won in the past four years as the most memorable moments of his career.
“There’s no moments that I’ve enjoyed the most in all my Andover experience than winning a championship my [Lower] year and my Senior year. Both years were the two best teams I’ve ever played on, and there’s no more satisfying feeling than winning a championship after all that hard work and after those incredible bonds that you’ve made,” said Simourian.
During this year’s championship, Simourian’s leadership both on and off the field helped guide the team to its second title in four years, according to Latham and Lucas Stowe ’20.
“He made a couple of sick plays in the outfield. There was one against Worcester [Academy] in the [semifinals] that… was an unbelievable catch… he also laid down a bunt in the championship game that got a guy over that was a crucial run,” said Latham.
“His leadership in [the final] in particular was huge. He brought us together, he gave us a few words of motivation,” said Stowe.
According to Stowe and Latham, through initiating communication and getting the little things done, Simourian was integral to developing Andover’s unity and reaching success this season.
“He brings the team together really well. He connects the old kids and the young kids. We did a lot of team bonding this year. He lives right down the road, so his family would host the team, and we would all hang out,” Stowe said.
“He’s loud on the field, he’s talking, he’s getting other guys engaged. He’s making sure that the dugout’s up, everything we need… he and [Co-Captain] Travis [Lane ’18]… are really the ones that have gotten the team to gel this year and did a really good job of making us all friends and happy with each other… I think that went a long way,” Latham said.
According to Stowe, Simourian is known for his love for the Pitch Perfect series.
“[My favorite quote from him is]: ‘The Pitch Perfect movie series is the best movie series known to man.’ He’s always talking about the Pitch Perfect movies and singing the songs,” said Stowe.
Simourian’s advice for his returning Andover teammates is to go into every situation confident in your ability.
“Something I’ve learned from baseball is that if you don’t go into every situation with a positive outlook on how things can go, then chances are it’s not going to be positive, and KG [Head Coach Kevin Graber] once told me this quote, from, I think it was Gerald Ford: ‘Whether you think you can’t or you think you can, you’re probably right,’ and baseball’s a sport where, you know, if you’re going into the bottom of the seventh inning and you’re down, and you don’t believe you can get those two runs, you probably aren’t going to, and it’s something we learn in baseball – you’ve got to go into that situation thinking that you can, and if you bring that outlook into every aspect of life, then that’s valuable I’d say.”
Simourian will be missed as he graduates this spring. He will play for the United States Naval Academy Varsity Baseball team next year.
