Tyler Krueck, a first-year student, and an outfielder on the Pacific University Boxer Baseball team, was injured early in the season.
Krueck broke his fourth metacarpal on his right hand during the JV game against George Fox University on March 10th. He has been injured for four months and is just starting rehab as of April 7th. Krueck had high hopes for his season at the beginning of the year, yet with his injury against George Fox, those hopes faced a difficult obstacle.
“Injuries suck; it’s the first time I’ve ever experienced a major loss of time on the field,” said Krueck.
During times of injury, athletes often struggle to stay in the “loop” and feel outcasted. Although Krueck faced a difficult challenge, he had his teammates and coach’s support to keep him motivated during the rehab process.
“The coaches have been great; they’ve checked up on me multiple times and have been really supportive throughout my rehab,” said Krueck. “My teammates have been even more supportive; I haven’t experienced any negativity or bad vibes from anyone on the team. No one looks down on me for not being able to play.”
The adversity that injured athletes face is their fellow teammates ostracizing or scorning them for taking time off when hurt, so it is very admirable that this is not the case at Pacific.
Krueck said he has been lucky when it comes to injuries by never facing significant setbacks. Minus the bumps and bruises he has tallied up over the years of baseball, he has stayed healthy throughout his career. So when injured for an extended period, Krueck experienced a mental drain by not being able to participate in regular practices.
“I’ve seen guys with casts and slings and never really thought about the mental drain of not being able to play,” said Krueck. “It really helps me understand my love for baseball.”
Krueck said he never considered the mental drain an athlete went through when injured until he was in those shoes. He is now motivated to do everything he can to get healthy, and his love for the game has never been so evident before. — Luke Whitaker
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