Baseball is a game played in the spring and summer, but it’s actually a year round commitment, especially for competitive college players. 

Hours of time are spent during the winter working out and conditioning the body for the long grind to come when the weather finally turns ripe for baseball.

Unfortunately for some athletes, all the conditioning and preparation in the world cannot prevent injuries that can put a player and a team’s season in jeopardy. 

This is the case for Ashland University baseball this season.

Costly season-ending injuries to junior starting pitcher Jake Baldwin and senior first baseman Tyler Gray have put the Eagles in a predicament: Who is going to step in and carry the load for the rest of the season?

“It’s not just going to be one person,” head coach John Schaly said. “We’re going to need a number of guys to pick up the innings that [Baldwin] threw. Some of the younger guys are going to have to step up.”

Baldwin suffered an elbow injury when playing against Wayne State March 18 in Chillicothe, Ohio. Baldwin started the game but then exited after giving up six earned runs in three innings pitched.

After visiting a Cincinnati Reds team doctor this week, the latest word is that Baldwin will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery. 

The Eagles had played 12 games in weather-favorable Florida previously. It was just the fourth game the Eagles had played in Ohio this season and the first pitched by Baldwin. It’s common for a change in temperature to cause injuries, but Schaly acknowledged the weather probably wasn’t the primary cause and it was just arm issues that had sprouted unexpectedly. 

Baldwin was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pitcher of the year in 2013 with 12 starts, an 8-0 record, and a 1.69 ERA in 79.2 innings pitched. He received preseason All-American honors this season. Up to the point of his injury, Baldwin had thrown 18 innings with a 3.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts. 

Another serious injury to the Eagles lineup was that of Tyler Gray. The Eagles first baseman separated his shoulder March 22 against Ohio Dominican and his injury is also season threatening. 

Gray has been one of the Eagles’ most productive hitters since he was put into the lineup in 2011. His career batting average is .330 with 12 home runs and 111 RBI. Gray has also held “iron man” status at Ashland, as he started all 52 games in 2012 and all 56 games in 2013. 

Gray had 22 hits in 66 at-bats (.333) before going down with his injury.

Replacing both of these players is going to be a challenge for Ashland. As Schaly said, it won’t be just one guy filling in one spot.

Pitchers Vince Frate and Alex Smith have taken on larger roles as starters since Baldwin’s injury. Frate, a junior, has posted an impressive 1.93 ERA in six games so far. The sophomore Smith leads the team in innings pitched with 33. 

Freshmen pitchers Mitch Cox and Dan Whitacre will also be expected to take on larger roles as starters. The duo combined for nine innings pitched and just one earned run in a win against Ohio Dominican last week.

As for the lineup, some position shuffling will be needed to fill in for Gray. Sophomore Mackenzie Hampshire and freshman Greg Ludwig will see time at first base. 

Hampshire has primarily started in the outfield or as the designated hitter this season. He was second team all-conference in 2013 when he had 37 hits in 31 games. Ludwig has five hits in 16 at-bats this season. 

It is common to have injuries occur in a season that stretches out as long as baseball’s does. When those injuries occur to key players like Baldwin and Gray, it is often difficult to make up for that lost production. 

Schaly believes that the opportunity is there for certain players to rise to the occasion. 

“It’s ‘next man up,’” Schaly said. “We’re just going to have to put together a staff as best as possible. We just need everyone to pick up their share and we’ll manage through the season.”