It turns out our human ancestors spent tens of thousands of years skipping proper bullpen sessions, and among the unfortunate results of this is the fact that the arm simply did not evolve to handle throwing a baseball. Too busy “discovering fire” and “finding enough food to live because agriculture didn’t exist,” they said. All I hear are excuses.
Dammit, Ulgar, you and the rest of your slovenly cro-magnon cohort really couldn’t find the time for a few simulated games in between trying not to get eaten? Well guess what, the bill’s come due, and even your most responsible descendants have had to pay it. You make me sick.
But I digress. Sorry, this whole deal really gets to me sometimes.
NC State’s regular-season finale gets underway later this afternoon, and the team will be honoring its seniors, including Matt Willadsen, who has had a long road back from Tommy John surgery. As that video details, it takes a lot of work to come back from an injury that serious, and while Matt hasn’t had the impact this season I’m sure he’d have liked, just getting back out there is a big accomplishment.
Willadsen’s legacy at State was secure well before the injury anyway—three years as a quality starter in the weekend rotation, plus a key role in the 2021 College World Series team. He started the second game of the Super Regional at Arkansas, with the season on the line, and gave the team a performance it had to have. He’s always been tough.