By Gracie Fairfax | Echo
The game begins and the pitcher stands on the mound ready to throw the first pitch. This may seem like an everyday sight in the world of college baseball, but for freshman Zak Eckerle, this is a dream that once seemed impossible.
Eckerle has played baseball since Little League, but after some physical issues during his freshman and sophomore year of high school, his elbow blew out during his junior year while he pitched a tournament game.
"Right when I blew it out, I knew what had happened because the main symptom is (that) your fingers go numb," Eckerle said. "I couldn't even get it to home plate and I was throwing as hard as I could."
It was at this point that he knew he'd need surgery if he ever wanted to pursue his dreams of playing in college. Tommy John surgery, the namesake of the first professional baseball player to receive the procedure, was his best hope of getting back on the mound.
"It's getting to become a problem," Eckerle said. "The overhead motion of throwing something is the most awkward and unnatural position in all of sports."
While the surgery would allow him to return to pitching, the lengthy recovery process resulted in his decision to hold off on surgery until after graduation, which allowed him to finish out his senior year playing baseball and basketball alongside his close friends and teammates.
His love for his team outweighed his love for pitching during his senior year as he stepped down from the mound and played second base-a short throw to first.
Once his final year of high school came to a close, Eckerle made the difficult decision to undergo Tommy John surgery-which included a 12-month minimum recovery process. His parents promised to support him emotionally and financially whether or not he decided to have the surgery.
If he was going to pursue his dream of playing college baseball, he wanted to ensure he went to a surgeon with an impeccable reputation. Eckerle's pitching coach and former Colorado Rockies pitcher Zach McClellan recommended he see Timothy Kremchek, the head orthopedic surgeon for the Cincinnati Reds.
The medical term for the surgery is ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. It involves replacing the damaged elbow ligament with a tendon from another place in the body. In Eckerle's case, the tendon was taken from his right leg.
"Not everyone comes back from Tommy John, but I was lucky enough that it worked and I came back," Eckerle said. "The success rate a long time ago was not very high. A lot of guys actually come back stronger and better because their arm is more durable."
In August 2013, Eckerle underwent his long-awaited surgery. At this point, he began a two-year rehabilitation process, during which he took general classes at Ivy Tech community college, near his hometown of Solsberry, Indiana.
Shortly after his surgery, Eckerle's mom found an article online of a man who came back after injuries during college and made it to the big leagues. Later, he opened a fortune cookie that said, "Never let obstacles stand in the way. Always pursue your dreams." He taped these reminders to the front of his bedroom door, so that he would be encouraged to keep fighting every time he walked by. It was this inspiration that led him to share his story with others who may be struggling with similar discouragement, in hopes that it would strengthen them to overcome challenges of their own.
McClellan, a good friend of Taylor baseball coach Kyle Gould, connected Eckerle with Taylor's baseball team. During the summer, he took to the mound and pitched in a game setting for the first time in three years, earning Gould's support and a scholarship to Taylor.
In order to determine his eligibility, he had to go through the NAIA clearinghouse. After telling them he had barely played summer baseball since high school, he was granted four years of collegiate baseball eligibility, despite his academic status as a junior.
Tuesday was Eckerle's first day of practice with the Taylor team and his determination and care for his teammates is already evident. He sits in the KSAC and waves to his teammates as they pass by, asking how their practice went and is never slow to offer an encouraging word-even offering his ice pack to a freshman teammate.
Eckerle's Taylor experience is just getting started, as he pursues a degree in Business Management. While his collegiate baseball career has yet to be in full swing, his determined spirit and encouraging demeanor have already had an impact on the lives of those around him-both on and off the field.
