https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/dfwvarsity/article231628238.html

BY BRIAN GOSSET

JUNE 17, 2019 08:00 AM

Southlake Carroll 2019 pitcher Cutter Sippel, a two-time state champion, announced his commitment to Baylor on June 10 via Twitter, only two days after the Dragons won a second consecutive 6A state title.

"It's a dream come true. God is so good. Thank you to the coaches for believing in me," he said in a tweet.

"I've always wanted to go to Baylor since I was little. I'd have Baylor posters, signs and pictures all over my room. I would even occasionally wear a Baylor baseball shirt around," Sippel said. "My mom went there and I feel like it's a school that's going to believe in me and give me the best opportunity to make an impact on the field."

But it didn't come easy.

Sippel went 8-0 with a 1.73 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 68 2/3 innings as a sophomore in 2017 when Carroll made the first of three consecutive state tournament appearances.

He committed to TCU a month after the season.

Sippel pitched in two games of March 2018 as a junior, but shoulder impingement and a labrum tear forced him to miss the rest of the year.

Then TCU stopped calling and in April, Sippel decided to decommit.

"My junior year was filled with disappointment and under achieving. I had really high expectations from my teammates and coaches and my arm couldn't hold up," he said. "I learned from that year to always believe in myself. The more I would doubt myself the worse I felt. I have to keep my highs low and my lows high to be the best pitcher I can possibly be."

Sippel allowed no runs on three hits and seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings as the Dragons beat Odessa 6-0 to clinch a spot in the Region I final against Flower Mound.

Sippel allowed two runs on two hits and four strikeouts in 3/2 innings in the 6A state semifinal against Lake Travis. Carroll won 6-2 and then went on to beat Ridge Point 17-0 in the title game.

Sippel struck out four batters and allowed two hits in 3 2/3 innings as the Dragons beat Lake Travis 6-2 in the 6A state semifinals.

"It was an amazing experience to get to throw on that stage at state. We had had a couple playoff games this year where I thought there were even more people than state and I think that really helped us as a team get comfortable early.

"Throwing on that mound is an experience that I can never forget, but what mattered most to me was that next day when Joe Steeber threw a gem. Back-to-back state champions is an accomplishment I can always be proud of even if my arm kept me off the field."

Sippel finished the year with a 12-1 record.

"It's an unreal deal. God is so good for giving me a second chance and watching over my arm," he said. "I wouldn't be in the position I am today without Him and all the people who rallied around me."