by Dillon Meehan
Central Connecticut Sate University’s starting pitcher Cody Brown, is expected to miss the remainder of the season with an elbow injury.
It is currently unconfirmed if it is a torn UCL, which would require a second Tommy John surgery in as many years for Brown. But, it has been confirmed that he visited a doctor, yet an MRI has not yet been scheduled.
The injury happened in the bottom of the 8th inning, during the Blue Devils 2-1 win against Sacred Heart on March 26. Brown threw an errant pitch, and immediately walked off the mound towards the dugout and dropped his right arm. A telltale sign of an elbow injury.
“Usually when you throw a pitch like that and come off the mound, It usually isn’t good news,” said Blue Devils head coach Charlie Hickey. “For a kid who’s been through a lot, it’s tough. You get glimpses of him and realize how special he has been, and you hope that you can allow him a chance to feel that again.”
Following the game against Sacred Heart, Hickey was cautiously optimistic about Brown being able to return. However, that optimism has since dissipated.
“He’s still the same kid, and he’s still gonna be part of this team and a leader on this team. He’s at every practice and he does what he can do to help his teammates. That’ll be something I always will remember from coaching him.” Hickey said. “Unfortunately, the injury is a part of baseball and having it down twice, there isn’t really a success rate for that.”
The injury will likely end Brown’s career as a Blue Devil, as it has been a rough couple of years. After a promising start to his career as a Blue Devil, Brown missed all of the 2014 season due to a battle with cancer. After making a return in 2015, Brown then tore his UCL in his fifth appearance of the season, and was forced to miss the rest of the 2015 and all of the 2016 season to recover from surgery.
“He’s a great kid, with a positive attitude towards baseball and life. You feel for him, for all the work and time that he’s put in to get back out here and compete,” Hickey said of Brown’s commitment to return.
During Brown’s freshman year back in 2012, Brown started in all 11 games he appeared in, with a record of six wins and four loses. Brown also led the team with two complete games.
The following year, Brown started in all 12 games he made an appearance in, with a record of six wins and five loses. He was second on the team with four complete games and led the team with 44 strikeouts.
In his brief 2015 season, he had a record of two wins and zero loses in five appearances. It was capped off by earning the NEC Pitcher of the Week honors after a seven inning, 15 strikeout performance against Virginia Military Institute.
