The San Luis Obispo Varsity Baseball Team poses after a great win of 8-5 against the Atascadero Greyhounds. Photo courtesy to the SLOHS Baseball Instagram page. 

  The San Luis Obispo Varsity Baseball Team are currently 11-8 and first in the league but how will they defend the Sunset Championship Title? Behind the scenes, recovery is one of the most important things and is often overlooked. The recovery journey of an athlete can take a toll on yourself but coming back stronger in the end is always the goal.

  “We have had a few players who have gotten the Tommy John injury and couldn’t play for the whole season,” said senior Luke Henard.

  A pitcher can throw 50-110 pitches a game and that can really take a toll on your shoulder and your arm. A few injuries that are prone are rotator cuff tears and strains in those muscles of the shoulder and a labrum tear with damage to the cartilage that lines the shoulder socket. Another popular injury is a UCL tear and a surgery called Tommy John surgery can repair that using a tendon graft.

  “Last year I got a burnt rotator cuff from throwing so much and pitching which led me to be out for 4 months,” said junior Forrest Avrett.

  A major factor to injuries is under-preparation and overuse. Arm care is very important to prevent that. Pre and post game routine should be consistently done and will lead to an effortless and less pained game.

“I always do multiple exercises before I throw, such as using bands and other stretches along with monitoring how much I throw and when to take it light or not,” said senior Landon Drenckpohl.

 This type of exercise work is good before games and can lead to a win in the game. The team will keep on having a good season with many wins and fun games with close scores. Hopefully they can bring home the Sunset League Champs!