:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58755233/usa_today_9348906.0.jpg)
Unfortunate news for the Texas Tech Baseball team yesterday as it was announced that left-handed pitcher Steven Gingery has torn his UCL. This will require season-ending surgery and will place a huge hole in the Red Raider pitching rotation. Gingery was Big 12 Pitcher of the Year last year and was expected to be an All-American caliber pitcher this season for the Red Raiders.
Gingery started the first game of the Saturday’s doubleheader against Maine and only lasted into the third inning before complaining of elbow soreness. This caused him to exit his one and only performance this season for the team. The UCL surgery, commonly referred to as Tommy John surgery, takes nine months to well over a year to recover from. All of us at Viva The Matadors wish him well and hope he recovers from this well.
With Gingery out of the rotation, this leaves some intrigue as to who will start in his place. With a standard 4 game week, Gingery was usually the Saturday starter. With this spot usually reserved for your ace pitcher, I believe that Davis Martin now is the ace of this rotation and that John McMillon and Ryan Shetter become the front and back end of your weekend rotation.
This opens up the Tuesday starting position open for grabs as I think Erickson Lanning is the best candidate for a Tuesday starter role. In his start on Sunday, Lanning gave up 6 runs in the third inning and was pulled for eventual game winner Jose Quezada with one out remaining in the third inning. Of course, I could be completely wrong about this and someone we could have never expected. The Tuesday starter is mostly for a pitcher who needs starting experience and that Coach Tadlock sees potential in.
With all of this being said, I do sincerely wish for a speedy recovery for Stephen Gingery. He is the best pitcher on this team and his experience and classy approach to the game will be missed this season. Also, we as Red Raider fans should keep our heads up for this season. This team is amazing and I believe that it still has more than enough talent to win the Big 12.
What are your thoughts on the Gingery injury? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.