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How Trendan Parish is bouncing back from two injury-shortened seasons
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- How Trendan Parish is bouncing back from two injury-shortened seasons
Trendan Parish looked like his old self again Sunday. The Texas Tech baseball pitcher came into a bases-loaded jam, struck out two to escape unscathed and stomped off the mound in high-stepping, fist-pumping celebration.
It was a display reminiscent of early 2022 when Parish, then a freshman, picked up five saves and a win by mid-March , making everyone want to fist-pump along with him. For a few weeks there, his potential seemed limitless.
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Each of Parish's first two seasons, though, was derailed by injury — an elbow in 2022 that required surgery, a shoulder in 2023 . He finished both seasons on the shelf, not pitching after May 3 his freshman year and May 19 his sophomore year.
In a 9-5 victory Sunday against Gardner-Webb, Parish went 2 2/3 sharp, scoreless innings.
"It was tough mentally my first two seasons," he said. "My freshman year, I thought I was throwing really good. That (shoulder injury) happened last year. ... But, man, I feel like I'm in a good spot now and I feel as confident as ever, just kind of fine tuning stuff and getting back into it."
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Parish described his ulnar collateral ligament repair in his right elbow as a "partial seatbelt" procedure.
"They basically go in and take a piece of elastic and wrap my UCL in it, basically like a big rubber band," he said.
Coming back from the surgery, Parish thinks he might have overcompensated last year, describing himself as "a little gun-shy." He came out of a May 19 game against Kansas with the shoulder discomfort.
"I think sometimes I was maybe giving a little too much pressure on the shoulder," he said, "because I was still mentally a little bit worried about that elbow, but now I feel as confident as ever. It's been a ride and a grind the whole way, but with our staff here, I feel great."
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In 39 career appearances, the 6-foot, 175-pound junior from Poolville and Fort Worth Southwest Christian has struck out 86 in 91 innings. He began 2022 as a closer and made his last eight appearances last year as a starter. With 10 career starts plus back-end experience, he gives the Red Raiders options.
Tech coach Tim Tadlock, pitching coach Matt Gardner and special assistant Ray Hayward talked over those options with Parish before the season.
"They told me, 'We want you to come out of the bullpen and play a big role,' " Parish said. " 'We think we can extend you for three or four innings, or we can close (with) you because we have confidence you're going to fill up the zone.'
"My thing is, you can put me in any situation in the game. I just want to get out there and compete for my teammates and try to do the best I can."
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Parish, with his second consecutive scoreless appearance, picked up the win Sunday. In 5 1/3 innings, he's allowed a run on five hits.
"Trendan's a guy who has the ability to be efficient when the ball is down and he's sinking it," Tadlock said. "He's got a chance to get a lot of ground balls. ... As far as today goes, he came in and executed some pitches in a big moment. I thought he commanded the fastball as good as he has in a long time, which is a good sign for us."
Parish said he worked with assistant athletic trainer Bryan Simpson and strength coach Tory Stephens to build back shoulder strength and with Gardner and Hayward to sharpen up his sinker and cutter.
"Without these guys here," he said, "I wouldn't be in the spot I am today."
Texas Tech pitcher Trendan Parish (32) is 6-4 with seven saves in 39 career appearances, 10 as a starter. Parish burst onto the scene in 2022 with five saves and a victory in the Red Raiders' first 17 games, but each of his first two seasons have been shortened by injuries.
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: How Trendan Parish is bouncing back from two injury-shortened seasons
