Brantley Curnutte waited for March 5 to arrive for almost a year. He patiently counted down the days until he was able to pitch again for the Bluffton University Baseball Team after undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2018.
In March 2018, Curnutte was told he needed Tommy John surgery to repair his throwing elbow. The surgeon told him it would be a six to nine-month recovery. In his case, it ended up being closer to nine months.
Just weeks after his surgery, Curnutte started working to get his range of motion back. Physical therapy was the next step in his recovery process. During therapy, he focused on gaining back strength, especially in his shoulders because of the elbow injury.
“The rehab process was hard,” said Curnutte. “There were times I wasn’t sure if I would ever get back to where I was.”
His rehab picked up once he returned to campus and began working with student athletic trainer, Ashley Higginbotham, three times a week.
“We really focused on stability, core and lower body,” Curnutte said.
In addition, Curnutte entered a rehab pitching program with the baseball team, designed to help ease him back into the routine of pitching. He is not allowed to pitch more than 45 pitches. He throws bullpen twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays, which line up on the days the team has double headers.
Despite all of the physical progress Curnutte has made toward his recovery, he said making progress mentally has been a struggle itself.
“I will still have doubt when throwing bullpen, but I just tell myself that I can’t think like that,” said Curnutte.
Now that baseball season has started, Curnutte is hoping he will be allowed to pitch soon with no restrictions. However, he is not sure if it will be attainable this season.
“I’m not sure if I will be completely back this year,” said Curnutte. “I’m hoping for April, but it could be next season before that happens.”
While in Florida for the baseball team’s annual spring trip, Curnutte entered the game for the first time this season in an 8-0 loss vs Saint John’s (Minn.) University. He only threw one inning and faced only three batters. Against those three batters, he gave up zero hits and struck two batters out.
“It was amazing,” said Curnutte. “My whole family was there so that made it even more special. I shed a few tears after the game just because of how long of a process it was to get to this point.”
Curnutte said he hopes he will be able to get back to full strength to help his team reach the conference tournament for a second straight season. He said he remains hopeful the team can bring home the championship.
The Beavers’ next game will be a double header at Earlham College on Saturday, March 30, beginning their conference play. The first game is slated to start at noon.
