‘Suds’ suits C-G coach fine

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The fact that Cary-Grove baseball players call their coach by his nickname says a lot.

It speaks to the closeness Trojans coach Don Sutherland has established with his players. It also displays a degree of respect, for although the players almost always call him “Suds” instead of “Coach,” they rarely cross him.

“People know he’s been around for a long time,” C-G catcher Luke Mottashed said. “They’re going to listen to what he’s saying because he knows the game very well.”

Mottashed said Sutherland knows how to get a point across when necessary, but it’s usually not by raising his voice.

Sutherland’s approach might be low-key, but his ability to lead is unquestioned. He has coached the Trojans for 22 years, none of which was more successful than this season. C-G (31-10-1) set a school record for wins and finished fourth in the IHSA Class 4A State Tournament, the Trojans’ first trip to state.

Sutherland is the Northwest Herald Baseball Coach of the Year for the third time as selected by the sports staff with input from local coaches; he previously was selected in 1996 and 1997. His C-G teams are 416-324-11.

Sutherland was born to coach. His grandfather (Chick) coached baseball in Iowa, and his father (Jim) was a longtime baseball coach at Ottawa, Ill., where Don played on his teams. His 750th game as coach came in the state tournament semifinals last weekend, a 3-2 loss to New Trier. The Trojans also lost to O’Fallon, 3-2, in the third-place game.

“It was a tough weekend, but a fantastic season,” Sutherland said.

Sutherland’s players appreciate his demeanor and his knowledge, among other attributes.

“He has complete dedication to the game and to us,” junior left fielder Eric Chandler said. “We just ended our season Saturday, and he’s there for summer high school ball Monday. He’s there teaching, with a smile on his face. He’s always there himself, not only helping varsity guys, but the freshmen and sophomores too.”

Sutherland spread any credit for success all around.

“These seniors won the conference all four years,” Sutherland said. “People don’t make a big deal who wins freshman or sophomore conference, but the kids did. [Assistant coach] Ryan [Passaglia] is a tremendous help, and there’s another guy who was a tremendous help this year.”

That person is former Dundee-Crown coach Fred Bencriscutto, who joined Sutherland’s staff this season as a volunteer assistant.

Regarding the nickname, it was carried over a bit from his father. For almost 30 years, Jim Sutherland battled myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease that leads to muscle weakness and fatigue. When Jim Sutherland died in 1993, Ottawa called its mascot “Sudsy” in his honor, partly because Jim often wore an eye patch with his disease.

“I don’t even notice it,” Sutherland said. “I think they’ve called me that a long time. In baseball, you play so many games, you’re with each other so much, you learn a lot about each other because you spend an awful lot of time together. You get a little more personal time with the kids.”

Besides, there’s a problem with “Coach Sutherland.”

“When someone says that, they get a weird look,” Chandler said. “Even his sons (Mike and Matt), everybody calls them ‘Little Suds.’ ”