Ryan Bernskoetter - Pitcher, Rock Bridge High School

 

Derrick Lin

Personal Profile – July 17, 2014

912 words

            Rock Bridge High School senior Ryan Bernskoetter took the mound in the season’s final game, but he thought he had played his last game long before this one.

Bernskoetter was the closer for the Rock Bridge varsity baseball team and usually only pitched the last inning of games. He earned all-state honors after his junior year when Rock Bridge made a deep playoff run. Bernskoetter had a history of injuries though, and his senior season almost ended before the first game. He began to experience elbow pain in his throwing arm during the practices leading up to the beginning of the season.

            “I was throwing to some batters, and I felt a pop,” Bernskoetter said.

            He said his elbow would even bother him when he tried to sleep. Bernskoetter had the team trainers take a look at his elbow after a few games. The trainers determined there was a problem with Bernskoetter’s ulnar collateral ligament that would require Bernskoetter to undergo reconstructive surgery.

            The UCL is a main source of stability in the elbow and can be damaged by overuse and repetitive stress of a pitcher’s throwing motion, according to an article from the eOrthopod website. UCL reconstruction, known to baseball players as Tommy John surgery, involves grafting a ligament from another part of the body to replace the UCL. Recovery from this procedure is usually a yearlong process.

            “I thought he was done,” said Bernskoetter’s mother Tracy Bernskoetter.

            Bernskoetter was far from done. He went to the hospital for a second opinion. The MRI revealed that Bernskoetter had suffered a flexor tendon strain and not a UCL injury.

            A flexor tendon strain is an injury from overuse that irritates and inflames the tendons on the inner side of the elbow, according to a Dec. 2012 article on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons website. The athlete feels pain while throwing and often during rest. This is similar to a UCL injury except that surgery is not required for a full recovery.

            Tracy Bernskoetter said this was an emotional time for her.

            “I got the call, and I cried, and then I got the good call, and I cried again,” Tracy Bernskoetter said.

            This was just an addition to Bernskoetter’s long list of injuries. He had surgery on his right shoulder as a freshman and two foot surgeries as a sophomore. He had also broken his arm, hands and fingers many times. Bernskoetter said his parents did not pass on their injury-free genes to him.

            “I’ve never had a surgery,” said Bernskoetter’s father Rob Bernskoetter. “He’s been breaking stuff since he was 10.”

            Head coach Justin Towe put Bernskoetter on a throwing program to limit his pitches and allow his elbow to properly recover. Bernskoetter took on a new role while he waited to make his return. Towe described Bernskoetter as a “glorified cheerleader” and said he was a positive influence and role model to the younger players.

            “It got me more involved instead of just sitting there and watching,” Bernskoetter said. “I knew I couldn’t do anything to help on the field, so I tried to help off the field.”

            Bernskoetter was dominant in his first game back after his recovery. In a game near the end of the regular season, Bernskoetter came in to pitch the last inning and struck out all three batters that he faced.

            Rock Bridge had their closer back, but the season looked like it was about to come to an end. The team had struggled since the beginning of the season even with Bernskoetter in the lineup.

            “Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to make it.” Bernskoetter said. “I thought we were going to be out in the first round of districts.”

            In the first round of districts, Rock Bridge was losing 8-0 in the first inning to Helias High School. That’s when the playoff magic began for Rock Bridge. The team scored nine runs in the first inning and went on to win the game.

            The momentum from that win carried Rock Bridge all the way to the state championship game where they faced defending champion Francis Howell High School. The day before the game, Towe went through every scenario and possible pitching change that might come up during the game.

            “If we were in a mess, Ryan was going in,” Towe said.

            After the first inning, Rock Bridge was struggling on defense. The team had given up five hits and two runs to Francis Howell. Bernskoetter ran out to the mound in the second inning. There was concern about his ability to throw quality pitches over multiple innings, but Towe believed in his senior.

Bernskoetter erased all doubts that anyone may have had. He threw five shutout innings and at one point retired 13 straight batters. Rock Bridge held off Francis Howell in the final inning to win their first state championship in school history. Bernskoetter surprised everyone with his endurance including himself.

             “I didn’t think I’d go that long,” Bernskoetter said laughing. “That was the most I’d thrown since freshman year.”

            Bernskoetter is going to have the chance to throw some more. He is going to pitch next year for Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan. Towe, speaking from experience as a shortstop for MU, said college baseball brings new challenges that players do not experience in high school. Bernskoetter will be prepared though. He has proven that he can handle a challenge and still come out on top.