D2 SOUTHEAST REGIONAL: Trojans' Whitley finally healthy

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on May 17, 2017 9:59 AM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Brighton Hudson stepped into the press box.

He pulled out the radar gun.

Batteries. Check.

He tested the trigger. Check.

The University of Mount Olive media relations staff remained silent, almost stunned when they saw No. 32 take the cliff.

Kodi Whitley was back.

The moment seemed surreal.

As UMO announcer "Sugar Shane" Aube introduced Whitley and played his signature song by Ford, the Clayton native dug his "track" on the mound, toed the rubber and delivered his first pitch.

The gun flashed "95."

Second pitch. 93.

A third pearl zipped to the plate and popped the glove of catcher Jose Lopez. 93 mph.

Limestone touched Whitley for two hits, but he sat down three Saints on strikeouts.

Inning over.

His day was done.

"It was just being blessed to be back out there again, really," Whitley said. "I was a little nervous. But nervous energy is good energy. The first one (inning) was kind of nerve racking."

*

That glorious afternoon with a bright blue clear sky as the backdrop -- on senior weekend no less -- might have never happened.

His head bent toward the floor, Whitley wrung his hands together. He remembered the doubts that had crept into his mind so often during his daily grind of workouts.

Misty-eyed, he described his journey as a roller-coaster ride.

Meetings with doctors left him -- and the UMO coaching staff -- frustrated after he injured his throwing arm and no one elected to do an MRI to properly diagnose the injury. A tee-baller who dreamed of playing in the Major Leagues started to lose the passion that burned deep within his soul.

All that remained?

A flicker of dying hope.

"Pretty emotional," Whitley said as he choked back tears.

Finally, a doctor agreed to perform an MRI. The test revealed that Whitley required Tommy John surgery. More than six months had been wasted, which caused the 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-hander to miss the entire 2016 season.

The rehab started slowly.

"The first couple of months were tough," Whitley said. "There was a lot of stretching out your elbow and stuff. It was pretty painful. Then it just comes to throwing programs, moving in and out, bullpens, then live sessions and back out there again."

Whitley's full arsenal of pitches, each sharp and effective, soon returned.

The coaching staff put him on a pitch count.

His role changed.

"I'll throw two or three innings depending on pitch count...whatever they want me to do," Whitley said.

*

Stay positive.

Erase all doubts.

"Keep your faith strong and that was big a thing from my family," Whitley said. "Without that, it would probably have been impossible."

Whitley developed a bond with assistant coach Jason Sherrer, and agreed to help coach the Wayne County Post 11 Senior American Legion team. During his two years, he learned different nuances when it comes to pitching -- what to throw to induce a ground ball or how to get hitters out in another manner.

It's knowledge he's stored for the future.

But he's noticed more during the past two summers.

Whitley sees in the Legion players what he used to see in himself. He knew when a player needed a little pat on the back, a rub of the head, a word of encouragement -- all actions that help build character and confidence.

He carried that mentality with him to the UMO dugout this season.

"I'll go up to Hutch and say 'hey man, you're better than these teams. Just go out there and be better,'" Whitley said.

While he's thrown just 22/3 innings this season, he expects to step onto the mound during this weekend's Southeast Regional on his home diamond. He also knows that bullpen mates Austin Hutchison, Bruce Zimmerman, Brighton Hudson, Braxton Shetley, German Reyes, Trey Pate, Ethan Horne and Jesse Schullstrom will get the chance to fire some heat toward the dish.

"From top to bottom, our ptiching staff has been great," Whitley said. "We've had timely hitting, we've played good defense. We just find a way to win really."

And Whitley has found his way back, too.