I’ve never been one to shy away from hard work.
In fact, it’s all I know.
No matter the sport I was playing, I always worked as hard as possible to put myself in a position to succeed.
So, you can imagine the disappointment and frustration when the doctors discovered a hairline fracture in my throwing elbow shortly after beginning my senior baseball season here in Memphis.
I’ve had some great seasons here with the Tigers and was ready to go out with a bang.
But the untimely diagnosis halted those plans and required some time away from the game to heal.
Fortunately, I am surrounded by incredible trainers and tremendous teammates who did all that they could to help me return to the mound as quickly as possible.
And, more importantly, stronger than ever before.
A disappointing start
Calling the trainers out to the mound wasn’t exactly how I envisioned the second weekend of my senior season playing out.
Sure, as a pitcher, I had long experienced some pain and discomfort in my throwing arm, but nothing like this.
In this instance, my arm went completely numb, and there was no doubt that something more serious was going on.
After exiting the game, initial tests did not reveal anything too serious.
While I was still disappointed to have to take time away from the game, I felt relief that this was not more significant.
Weeks into my time off and rehabilitation, however, the pain was not going away, and my control was just not what it used to be.
Deep down, I knew that something wasn’t right still.
A CT scan confirmed my suspicions and revealed a hairline fracture to my throwing elbow that would ultimately require surgery.
At that moment, I was extremely frustrated and felt the sting of knowing that my days on the mound were over for the foreseeable future.
While the medical team and I went forward with a conservative approach at first, I knew that if I wanted to ever play for Memphis again, I needed to be at my best and have this injury fully healed.
So, I opted for the surgery and embarked on a lengthy journey to a full recovery.
Tough to watch
After that summer procedure, rehabilitation began immediately.
I’m not going to lie, it was pretty tough.
If you know me, you know that I am the ultimate competitor. So, having to spend the entirety of the fall season away from the mound was incredibly difficult for me.
However, from the time that I chose Memphis, all I ever wanted was the opportunity to contribute.
I mean that.
I wanted to make an impact.
And that didn’t change.
So, I got to work.
When the days of rehabilitation and recovery became long, grueling, and monotonous, I relied heavily on the expertise of my trainers and the support of my teammates and coaches to get me through.
I have a great group of guys around me, and without them, the journey would have been far more difficult to endure.
A lasting relationship
While this setback in my career at Memphis was undeniably disappointing, I couldn’t have asked for better support and care.
And truthfully, it didn’t surprise me.
Ever since my initial conversations with Memphis, I’ve felt this unwavering support for their student-athletes.
It was something that really drew me to Memphis, too.
Out of high school, I didn’t have any DI offers. So, I played baseball at the JUCO level before joining the Tigers here.
I always felt like I had the potential to compete at the highest level — I’m grateful the coaching staff here at Memphis felt the same way.
They were patient with me during my recruiting process, too, after I decided to add another year at the JUCO level to play with my brother first.
Many schools would have moved along to the next pitcher in their recruiting class and wished me the best in my future ahead.
Not Memphis.
They honored their word and officially extended an offer to me when the time came.
A long-awaited return
With the help and support of my trainers here at Memphis, I was able to return to the mound this spring and compete alongside my teammates.
While it takes time to return to game speed, and there is undoubtedly more work to get myself back to where I was, I am grateful for the opportunity to play amongst my teammates again.
Recently, at our annual PAWSCARS event, I was even awarded the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year.
While I tend to shy away from the spotlight, I have to admit, it felt really awesome to be recognized.
Going through that rehabilitation process was incredibly difficult.
It required a lot of hard work.
And I’m proud of making it through.
The award recognizes that.
And that means a lot to me.
Baseball is a game full of highs and lows, and at the end of the day, you can’t control the things it throws your way, injuries included.
You have to just trust the work that you put into the process and know that, in the end, it will all pay off.
For me here at The University of Memphis, it most definitely has.
