After undergoing Tommy John surgery, Wil Crowe’s return to play for a powerhouse Division I baseball program was no easy feat. But the junior pitcher doesn’t want to focus on the past; he’s ready to be a part of the future of Gamecock baseball.
“I'm most excited about putting a jersey back on and being a part of it in the dugout,” Crowe said in a statement via GamecocksOnline. “Missing last year and having to sit in the stands was tough. I'm just glad to be out there again with my teammates.”
Crowe pitched with the Gamecocks as a freshman in 2014, earning All-American honors with an 8-3 record and 2.75 ERA. In April of the following season against Florida, he tore an ulnar lateral ligament in his right elbow and was forced to undergo surgery.
He didn't play with the Gamecocks last season and worked through an extensive recovery process, but will return to the mound in 2017 as a Preseason All-America Third Team selection by Baseball America.
“I've never had the fear of going back out there,” Crowe said. “After surgery, I told myself that this is God's plan. If it happens again, then it's all a part of His plan and the journey. That really freed things up for me.”
To help him transition back into the high-level of Division I baseball, Crowe pitched for the Lexington County Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League this summer. He started in the home opener at Lexington County Baseball Stadium, allowing one hit and one run over two innings. He ended the summer with an ERA of 2.50 in over 18 innings pitched to go along with 24 strikeouts.
He also mentored freshman right-hander Cody Morris, who underwent Tommy John surgery during his senior year of high school in 2015. The pair of pitchers worked out in the bullpen and weight room together, encouraging each other to push past any injury-related frustrations they experienced.
“The biggest thing for me was having Wil Crowe go through it with me. He was a little bit ahead, but he was a mentor to me and really helped me through the process,” Morris said.
Crowe has been selected in the MLB Draft twice. Fresh off of high school graduation in 2013, Crowe declined a selection from the Cleveland Indians at No. 921 in the 31st round. Most recently, Crowe was drafted by the Indians at No. 632 overall in the 21st round in 2016. Just like in 2014, Crowe turned down the selection to get another year with the Gamecocks and announced his return in June 2016.
On Feb. 6, head coach Chad Holbrook named Crowe as the Saturday night starter in the opening series against UNC Greensboro. Fellow right-handed junior Clarke Schmidt will start on Friday, and sophomore Adam Hill will start on Sunday.
“I couldn’t have gone wrong with any of the order that I put them in. Somebody has to throw Friday and you know, Clarke (Schmidt) was a returning Friday night guy. Wil’s been off a couple of years, so I just kind of wanted him to get a feel for the first day being in the dugout," Holbrook said. “Clarke has been our Friday night guy, Wil has been our Friday night guy and they’re both capable of doing it.”
Holbrook said the pitching rotation is not set in stone and may change as the season progresses. While there was talk that Crowe had a shot at securing the Friday night job against the Spartans, he said that he and Schmidt are just focused on one thing.
“We both want to win and that’s all we’re worried about. Whether it’s him on Friday or me on Friday, we don’t care,” Crowe said. “We just want to win games and help this the best we can.”