By Max Miller — Reporter
The San Jose State softball team had a great season before play was canceled. Freshman Ilona Sullivan was a breakout star pitcher for the Spartans. Sullivan quickly became relied upon with a 1.05 ERA and 4-1 record.
It’s extraordinary she got the opportunity to pitch as much as she did as a freshman. Although she didn’t make any Mountain West all-conference teams, Sullivan had a stellar season.
Even though on paper her numbers were terrific, she struggled to settle into the SJSU community. Sullivan has decided to leave SJSU in the hopes to find a place for her to grow as a person.
“I felt like SJSU wasn’t the right fit for me,” Sullivan said. “I am sad it didn’t work out in the long run.”
Sullivan has entered the NCAA transfer portal and has already been contacted by multiple schools. Sullivan did not disclose these schools as she and her family are discussing her possibilities.
“Ilona’s decision to transfer was completely up to her,” Ilona’s father, Patrick Sullivan, said. “I am happy wherever she ends up.”
Ilona is a public health major at SJSU and depending on what program she decides to transfer to, she will either keep that major or switch to business. Ilona has always been a good student so the decision to transfer was purely on her mental well-being.
“Ilona had a great season, yes, but the most important part of this decision was how she feels,” Ilona’s mother, Camille, said. “I want the best for Ilona and this is a great learning experience for her.”
As a transfer student myself a decision to change schools can be one of the hardest decisions a person can make. For Ilona, this couldn’t have been more true.
“I spent weeks deciding what to do,” Ilona said. “It was really tough on me because on top of this decision I still had to pitch and go to class.”
Her biggest takeaway from this process is that she gets a brand new start. Because of the coronavirus, she also gets an extra year of eligibility. This allows her to still play four years of softball.
When COVID-19 hit, Ilona and her family were thrown another curveball. Now deciding to make the decision to transfer at home and going through a new way of learning was extremely hard.
“Coronavirus came at the worst possible time,” Ilona said. “I wanted to be able to finish the year and evaluate my whole situation.”
Ilona will look to bring her star pitching to another university that fits her wants. With a big decision to make about where she goes, she hopes that leaving SJSU will be a learning opportunity.
Follow Max on Twitter @SJSUMaxMiller