(Photo: Marina Williams/WCSN)
PHOENIX — In sports, an injury that requires surgery for an athlete is one of the worst experiences to endure for a multitude of reasons, one of those reasons being the amount of time away from the game while in the recovery process. This is especially true when baseball players sustain a shoulder injury that requires surgery.
For Arizona State redshirt sophomore pitcher Tyler Meyer and redshirt freshman designated hitter Brandon Compton, the case was no different. Both of these players had surgery on different parts of their shoulders and, as a result, both missed the 2022 season. Their injuries differ in the sense that Meyer had labrum surgery whereas Compton had UCL surgery.
Along with their injuries being in different areas of the shoulder, the roads to recovery are different for both players. Meyer, who had already worn a Sun Devils jersey prior to this season, had a smoother transition back to the field due to his veteran status.
“I think there’s something to it, having been there before,” Meyer said. “I didn’t feel like a fish out of water.”
Meyer being a veteran proved to be crucial on Sunday after ASU gave up four runs in the second inning. Of those four, none of them were charted as earned, but a portion of the blame still fell on Meyer’s shoulders. Meyer had four total walks today, three of those came in the second inning alone.
“The walks are in my control so I’m not happy with myself about that,” Meyer said. “I just got to control what I can control.”
The four runs in the second inning were charted as unearned so, by definition, they were out of Meyer’s control. The first one came when Ohio State junior first baseman Steven Miller was on third base and Meyer had already picked up two strikeouts in the second inning. Ohio State junior left fielder Trey Lipsey hit a ground ball that Arizona State senior shortstop Steven Ondina was unable to handle. This gave Miller enough time to reach home plate.
“Make that play at short right there, [Meyer’s] out of that inning with zero and he doesn’t have to go and labor through 35 more pitches that inning,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “Instead of getting out of there with a zero he’s got a four spot and has to tax himself with a lot more pitches.”
In total, it took Meyer around 45 pitches to leave the mound. The frame prolonged to such an extended period of time that Bloomquist pondered taking him out of the game entirely.
The veteran moment for Meyer came when he was asked to bounce back and not let the rough inning affect him mentally. Meyer responded by pitching a 1-2-3 out in the third inning. He followed that up by contributing to a double play that ended the frame for Ohio State.
“[Meyer] gave us two really big zeros right there so hats off to Tyler,” Bloomquist said.
For Meyer, this was a performance that left him feeling a sense of accomplishment.
“I’m proud of how I hung in there today, especially after that rough second inning,” Meyer said. “Having rough outings and having to keep going and keep the team in it, give us a chance, that came back easily.”
Meyer finished the day with 4.1 innings pitched, one error, two strikeouts, four hits allowed, one earned run allowed, and four walks.
As for Compton, his memorable moment came in the bottom of the sixth inning when he was at bat. Prior to this, junior center fielder Ryan Campos was grounded out to Ohio State shortstop Henry Kaczmar. However, this was made up for when junior first baseman Jacob Tobias hit a double to left center field. Afterward, senior second baseman Kevin Karstetter and sophomore center fielder Isaiah Jackson walked.
The bases were loaded with one out. The Sun Devils were down 8-6. That was when Compton, who had a relatively quiet game leading up to this, hit a grand slam to center field that caused the stadium to erupt. In an instant, the score became 10-6, ASU.
“Going up to that point I had two strikeouts,” Compton said. I was just like, ‘man, I got to do something.’”
Compton was the 18th ranked prospect in Arizona by Perfect Game coming out of high school. After his high school career ended, he had his surgery. From the end of his high school career to the beginning of this season, he only had one instance of playing experience. That was this past summer, playing in the Northwoods League for the Duluth Huskies.
“In the Northwoods it was good competition, but there’s a lot better arms and stuff here so I had to learn a lot,” Compton said. “This fall was probably the biggest stepping stone for me.”
Compton finished the day with two hits, one run, four RBI, two strikeouts, the home run, and an overall batting average of .480. For Jacob Tobias, who was on third when Compton hit the home run, this was a moment of rewarded faith.
“I had faith in [Compton],” Tobias said. “Brandon is a great hitter, he’s put in more work than anybody could ever imagine.”
