Wins such as the one he had this season over Seminole, arguably the county's best team, will nudge Aaron Tullo away from the basketball court. A strong district performance, a regional playoff berth, a big summer of AAU and PAL baseball will shove him away.
Ultimately, baseball will push basketball off the edge of Tullo's world. For now, he is playing it by ear, even if everyone whispering in it is telling him his future is in baseball. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound sophomore is close to breaking out as one of the county's best pitchers, says his coach, St. Petersburg's Stefan Futch. When the Green Devils head into the Class 5A, District 10 playoffs as the No. 2 seed, it will be Tullo who gets the biggest start.
Futch's confidence in his top pitcher has been buoyed by some big wins and solid performances this season. Though Tullo admits he got off to a slow start due to the overlapping basketball season, his 6-4 record and 2.56 ERA give hints of a bright future.
"I came out this season, and my arm just wasn't right," Tullo said. "I was pitching good but not great. I think it took me a while to get going."
When Tullo is going, he can be tough to hit. He throws a low- to mid-80s fastball. As with any pitcher, his ability to hit his spots with his offspeed pitches is paramount. When he tires and his concentration lags, it can lead to outings he'd much rather forget.
"When I'm on, it's good," said Tullo, who has 61 strikeouts in 52 innings. "If I get into a groove, it feels easy. But if get up around 60 or so pitches and get tired, I don't seem to concentrate like I should. That's the thing with me. That's the thing I need to work on."
Next year, Tullo says Futch has told him he will play an even bigger role on the team. The Green Devils are a veteran squad, and the 16-year-old Tullo has been primarily just a pitcher. He has just three hits in 16 trips to the plate, but says those numbers will improve once he starts getting more opportunities to swing.
"I'm kind of disappointed I haven't gotten more chances. ... I've always been a good hitter," said Tullo, a former Little League catcher. "I think I can be an everyday player. But pitching, that's probably going to be my main thing."
The Green Devils will need Tullo's arm to get by in a competitive district. They last made the regional playoffs in 2000 but have only won one regional playoff since 1954.
"I like the pressure; I like to be the one who is counted on," he said. "I think I tend to play better against better talent."
