Bullpen Banter: Back to Bloggin'
Feb 16, 2016 | Baseball
Sam Murphy is a junior left-handed pitcher for the Omaha baseball team. A broadcast journalism major from Lake Worth, Fla., Sam will write posts throughout the season for his blog, “Bullpen Banter,” available exclusively on OMavs.com.
Well, it's been 10 months.
Forgive me? Gosh, I hope so. I'm back for good now though. Promise.
I believe the last time I wrote to you all, I was fresh off a season-ending injury way back in March 2015. Since you didn't hear from me for a good while last season, I owe it to you to catch you up on everything that's happened since.
To refresh, I came in for a relief appearance in our sixth game last year against Chicago State – at the same facility we travel to three out of our first four weekends this year. Things were going well until a hitter obliterated a line drive directly back at me; the ball had to be traveling 100+ miles per hour. The ball subsequently pinned my left pinky finger to my quad; the ball was hit so hard, it ricocheted all the way to first base in time to retire the guy with plenty of time to spare. That was definitely the only positive thing during that sequence.
I knew at that point my season was in jeopardy – and my “Bullpen Banter” blog too, for that matter. (I'd soon find out it was going to be near impossible to function, let alone type.) Indeed, my speculation was confirmed not too long after, as X-rays of my pinky finger came back positive – in more than one area, too. It revealed two fractures in the finger, one on the knuckle and one right below. I realized the road to recovery was going to be a long and uncertain one.
Looking back, if there was ever a time to have a season-ending injury, it was last year. Because of my injury, I didn't travel with the team on any road trips. Why take me, when the coaches could take someone who could actually contribute on the field? In the meantime, the hockey team was having one heck of a season on the ice. And because of my student assistant role with the athletic communications department, I was blessed to tag along and travel with the hockey team to South Bend, Ind., for the NCAA Midwest Regional and then to Boston for the NCAA Frozen Four. So that was pretty cool and a great opportunity to get some professional experience!
As my injury began or heal -- or so I thought -- I made plans to play summer ball, knowing I needed to get back into the swing of things before I came back to campus in August for fall ball. I headed back to the “Great White North” to the West Coast League in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada; it happened to be the same team I played with the previous summer. I just couldn't get enough of “Beautiful BC.” This time, my roommate and teammate, Marcus Ethen, came along with me, but unfortunately it was a brief stay. I wasn't as ready as I thought, because in my first outing of the summer, I aggravated my throwing shoulder. It was quite the unfortunate scenario, as the injury was substantial enough that it warranted I leave Canada and head home to Florida to start rehabbing immediately. For someone who had never been seriously injured until that point, it was a shock to my system. I had plenty of doubts that baseball was done for good.
Following nearly two months of intense rehab, it was back to Omaha for the fall semester and fall ball – our version of spring training. I thought I was ready to get back on the mound...and I was wrong again. The shoulder flared up, and I had to shut it down for the fall before it even began. From a team standpoint though, our team had a really competitive and encouraging fall coming off a disappointing showing last season.
Update: My finger AND shoulder are good to go now finally (knock on wood!).
Season Preview
Now on to a little season preview. Finally, happy baseball season! The most wonderful time of year is upon us again and your Maverick baseball team couldn't be more amped to head down to Atlanta to get the 2016 campaign underway this weekend.
Like I mentioned earlier, the fall brought out the best in the guys. It was probably the most competitive and spirited fall season in the four years I've been a Maverick. A lot of that can be credited to this year's freshman class, as the nine newcomers really battled all fall. These youngsters will have an immediate impact on the squad this season, and I know I speak for most of the older guys on the team when I say we're happy to have them and excited to see how they mature and progress through their first campaign.
The Summit League preseason coaches' poll was released last week, tabbing us fourth. To be honest, these polls or rankings really have no bearing on what we can achieve; it's just noise that comes with the start of the season. The senior class has seen this program transform from a Division II powerhouse to a program on the brink of something special in Division I. We've had the pleasure of leading Omaha to two regular-season conference championships in three years – the first in 2013 being the first Division I league title for any UNO athletic program. The seven members of the senior class will be playing with one giant chip on their shoulders this season for the opportunity to go out on top as champions. It's going to be a season to remember, and I'm glad you're all along for the ride with us!
As always, if you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it – you can shoot me a tweet @SamMurphy_17. Thanks for reading, and I'll be back with you soon.
God Bless and Go Mavs,
Sam
Check out previous entries from "Bullpen Banter" below:
2014
#1 -- Let's Get Started (Feb. 7, 2014)
#2 -- A Delayed Start (Feb. 16, 2014)
#3 -- A Week in Florida (March 3, 2014)
#4 -- A Weekend in the Valley of the Sun (March 12, 2014)
#5 -- Spring Break Edition (March 29, 2014)
#6 -- Forging On to Fargo (April 8, 2014)
#7 -- Putting UNO on the Map (April 24, 2014)
#8 -- From North of the Border (June 13, 2014)
2015
#1 -- Long Time, No See (Feb. 10, 2015)
#2 -- Healing Powers (March 21, 2015)
Well, it's been 10 months.
Forgive me? Gosh, I hope so. I'm back for good now though. Promise.
I believe the last time I wrote to you all, I was fresh off a season-ending injury way back in March 2015. Since you didn't hear from me for a good while last season, I owe it to you to catch you up on everything that's happened since.
To refresh, I came in for a relief appearance in our sixth game last year against Chicago State – at the same facility we travel to three out of our first four weekends this year. Things were going well until a hitter obliterated a line drive directly back at me; the ball had to be traveling 100+ miles per hour. The ball subsequently pinned my left pinky finger to my quad; the ball was hit so hard, it ricocheted all the way to first base in time to retire the guy with plenty of time to spare. That was definitely the only positive thing during that sequence.
I knew at that point my season was in jeopardy – and my “Bullpen Banter” blog too, for that matter. (I'd soon find out it was going to be near impossible to function, let alone type.) Indeed, my speculation was confirmed not too long after, as X-rays of my pinky finger came back positive – in more than one area, too. It revealed two fractures in the finger, one on the knuckle and one right below. I realized the road to recovery was going to be a long and uncertain one.
Looking back, if there was ever a time to have a season-ending injury, it was last year. Because of my injury, I didn't travel with the team on any road trips. Why take me, when the coaches could take someone who could actually contribute on the field? In the meantime, the hockey team was having one heck of a season on the ice. And because of my student assistant role with the athletic communications department, I was blessed to tag along and travel with the hockey team to South Bend, Ind., for the NCAA Midwest Regional and then to Boston for the NCAA Frozen Four. So that was pretty cool and a great opportunity to get some professional experience!
As my injury began or heal -- or so I thought -- I made plans to play summer ball, knowing I needed to get back into the swing of things before I came back to campus in August for fall ball. I headed back to the “Great White North” to the West Coast League in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada; it happened to be the same team I played with the previous summer. I just couldn't get enough of “Beautiful BC.” This time, my roommate and teammate, Marcus Ethen, came along with me, but unfortunately it was a brief stay. I wasn't as ready as I thought, because in my first outing of the summer, I aggravated my throwing shoulder. It was quite the unfortunate scenario, as the injury was substantial enough that it warranted I leave Canada and head home to Florida to start rehabbing immediately. For someone who had never been seriously injured until that point, it was a shock to my system. I had plenty of doubts that baseball was done for good.
Following nearly two months of intense rehab, it was back to Omaha for the fall semester and fall ball – our version of spring training. I thought I was ready to get back on the mound...and I was wrong again. The shoulder flared up, and I had to shut it down for the fall before it even began. From a team standpoint though, our team had a really competitive and encouraging fall coming off a disappointing showing last season.
Update: My finger AND shoulder are good to go now finally (knock on wood!).
Season Preview
Now on to a little season preview. Finally, happy baseball season! The most wonderful time of year is upon us again and your Maverick baseball team couldn't be more amped to head down to Atlanta to get the 2016 campaign underway this weekend.
Like I mentioned earlier, the fall brought out the best in the guys. It was probably the most competitive and spirited fall season in the four years I've been a Maverick. A lot of that can be credited to this year's freshman class, as the nine newcomers really battled all fall. These youngsters will have an immediate impact on the squad this season, and I know I speak for most of the older guys on the team when I say we're happy to have them and excited to see how they mature and progress through their first campaign.
The Summit League preseason coaches' poll was released last week, tabbing us fourth. To be honest, these polls or rankings really have no bearing on what we can achieve; it's just noise that comes with the start of the season. The senior class has seen this program transform from a Division II powerhouse to a program on the brink of something special in Division I. We've had the pleasure of leading Omaha to two regular-season conference championships in three years – the first in 2013 being the first Division I league title for any UNO athletic program. The seven members of the senior class will be playing with one giant chip on their shoulders this season for the opportunity to go out on top as champions. It's going to be a season to remember, and I'm glad you're all along for the ride with us!
As always, if you have any feedback, I'd love to hear it – you can shoot me a tweet @SamMurphy_17. Thanks for reading, and I'll be back with you soon.
God Bless and Go Mavs,
Sam
Check out previous entries from "Bullpen Banter" below:
2014
#1 -- Let's Get Started (Feb. 7, 2014)
#2 -- A Delayed Start (Feb. 16, 2014)
#3 -- A Week in Florida (March 3, 2014)
#4 -- A Weekend in the Valley of the Sun (March 12, 2014)
#5 -- Spring Break Edition (March 29, 2014)
#6 -- Forging On to Fargo (April 8, 2014)
#7 -- Putting UNO on the Map (April 24, 2014)
#8 -- From North of the Border (June 13, 2014)
2015
#1 -- Long Time, No See (Feb. 10, 2015)
#2 -- Healing Powers (March 21, 2015)
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballTuesday, September 01
Wednesday, August 26
Friday, August 21
Tuesday, April 21
