Feature Story
Hearn Is Hype
by Sam Weiderhaft
Tuesday, May 11, 2021, was a special day in Myrtle Beach. For the first time in 628 days, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans opened the gates to 3,300 fans for the first home game since August 2019. Pelicans’ faithful were treated to a thriller of a ballgame, with the Birds coming out on top 4-2 with an eighth-inning rally- but that wasn’t what people were talking about after.
Pelicans' catcher Ethan Hearn created a frenzy with his post-strikeout celebrations that took Cub fan's Twitter by storm. Yelling, fist-pumping, and high-fiving his pitchers led four Pelicans pitchers and Hearn to collect 16 total strikeouts.
"I was having as much fun as I possibly could, I mean we get to play baseball for a job," said Hearn.
The native of Mobile, Alabama has a thick southern accent and you can hear that accent pitch a little higher with excitement when the 20-year-old talks about being behind the plate with fans back in the stands.
"It's unbelievable to have fans back in the seats, I wouldn't even care if there were just 15 fans, just being able to play baseball is amazing," said Hearn.
Hearn's energy on the field is contagious and hard to miss- when he's loaded up with catcher's gear and calling a game from behind the plate.
"That's just how I catch a game, I've always played like that," explained Hearn. "It fires me up and it fires the team up. It only takes one guy to hold that energy for the whole game."
Drafted out of high school, Hearn has always been a solid defensive catcher who's still waiting for his bat to come around. After starting the 2021 season 0-19 with 13 strikeouts, Hearn cracked his first hit against the Augusta GreenJackets on May 15th with a single to right-field. What followed was a hug from first-base coach Ben Martin, and a point back to the dugout in celebration.
"It was awesome to see that," said Pelicans' reliever Joe Nahas. "We were happy for him when it happened."
Nahas and Hearn came up together with Nahas signing with the Cubs out of Georgia Southern University in 2019. Both were sent to the Arizona League to start their professional careers, and Nahas teamed up with Hearn for his second start. He started the game and only got through two-thirds of an inning before being pulled after allowing five runs to come across against the AZL Angels.
"It didn't go well but that broke the ice between me and him, he was really supportive the whole time," said Nahas.
Now, the tandem has combined for 14 strikeouts through just over nine innings together, including Nahas' opening night performance that allowed just one hit through four innings and six strikeouts and triggered Hearn's excitement.
"Seeing your pitchers out there on an island, make a pitch that gets out of a tough situation, it just fires me up for those guys to be able to do that," Hearn said.
"It definitely boosts the confidence," Nahas said, remarking on Hearn's energy. "It's good knowing you have somebody out there that believes in you and is going to put his life on the line."
Being drafted out of high school and playing just 23 games in the Arizona League in 2019, this season will be Hearn's first taste of full-season baseball, and if you were worried about his enthusiasm fading out, you shouldn't be.
"That's the easy thing for me, I love the game, it's something that a lot of people wish to do for their job," said Hearn. "It's something that's always been in me, having that fire behind the dish."
In nine games as the catcher for Myrtle Beach, Hearn has thrown out four runners in 12 attempts. With his confidence behind the plate, the Pelicans' backstop wants to focus on the hitting side to continue his development in the lower levels of the minors.
"I really just want to dominate the fastball, get in more fastball counts, and don't miss my pitch," Hearn said about his goals.
As his second season of professional baseball rolls on, Hearn will continue to develop. There may be highs, there have already been some lows, but there will be no shortage of animation and emotion from number six in Pelicans' blue.
