Preseason is usually a great time for athletes to showcase their strengths and work on their weaknesses. It’s a period for improvement before it really counts, and much of the work done during preseason is evident during game time. Last preseason, however, Cameron Burris had a different experience.
“I was throwing for preseason training last year, and I threw one weird pitch, and I felt a snap in my elbow,” Burris, a pitcher on the team, said. “I knew right then that it was torn.”
Burris, who will be a senior this season, ended up tearing his Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in his elbow, which is a very common injury for pitchers, and he later had to get Tommy John surgery. This surgery is a very intense procedure. It uses a tendon graft, usually from the forearm or hamstring, to replace the broken ligament, helping the pitcher regain stability and speed like before. Burris went through this procedure before his baseball season even started, and he struggled to keep his feelings bottled up.
“I was really mad and disappointed because I had worked really hard last year just to get to the level I was at, and it felt like all of my hard work had just been thrown out the window,” Burris said.
Through this hardship, Burris’s baseball community really tried to support him in any way they could. Senior Carson Howard, who grew up with Burris as family friends and played baseball with him since they were little, leading up to their senior season. Howard tried to help him in any way he could.
“The injury definitely took a toll on Cam mentally. You could just see he wasn’t himself, but it also motivated him and gave him some goals to come back stronger,” Howard said. “I have just been telling him everything is gonna work out, and it happened for a reason. I know this season he is gonna be a big-time pitcher for us, and just supporting him anyway I can.”
Now, a year later, the spring sport athletes are heading into preseason once again, and Burris is starting to prepare in a way he wasn’t able to finish last season. Every workout, pitch, physical therapy, and training matters more now than ever.
“He has been hitting the gym almost every day, and you can see there is a huge difference from the past couple of years to him now, and just how much stronger he has gotten. He put his head down and grinded out the program so he can throw and get his speed back up.” Howard said.
Coach Mike Freedline has coached Burris all four years of his baseball career and has seen him grow on and off the mound. Heading into this season, having Burris back on the field gives the Knights an upper hand, but Freedline is careful to not place unrealistic expectations on the senior leader.
“I have just been messing around and teasing with him, not wanting to put too much pressure on him, and I know he will get back into it,” Freedline said.
