The Long Road Back From Injury is Nearly Complete for Jack Perkins
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - It has been a lengthy journey for Jack Perkins during his collegiate tenure. One that has been filled with its fair share of peaks and valleys.
As soon as he stepped on campus to compete for the University of Louisville baseball program, you could see the potential. During his freshman campaign in 2019, the right-handed pitcher made 16 appearances with four starts, and posted a 3-0 record with a 4.18 ERA in 32.1 innings.
But then the injury bug came down hard on him.
On May 27 against Clemson in the 2019 ACC Tournament, Perkins could only manage a single inning of work before searing arm pain took over. He went for an MRI the next day where the worst was confirmed: a torn UCL. A week later on June 4, he would undergo Tommy John surgery, thus beginning a rehab with a typical prognosis of 12-18 months.
Despite not being able to take part in Louisville's 2019 postseason run, one that culminated with a third place appearance in the College World Series, Perkins kept his spirits high.
"You're watching all your teammates playing and it's hard," he told Louisville Report. "But it's fun at the same time. You get to watch all your guys."
One year removed from surgery, Perkins was finally able to get back on the mound. When the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield got underway in last month, the Kokomo, Ind. native was far enough along in his rehab to see in game action on a pitch count for his 'Snapping Turtles' squad.
"It's definitely been something I've been looking forward to," he said. "Being out here and getting this experience, getting this opportunity, being close to home. It's just been really good overall for me and I've enjoyed it."
Not only has Perkins been able to get back to playing, he has done so at a high level during his time in Westfield. He was named a league All-Star, and was tabbed as the starting pitcher for Blue Team in the All-Star Game at Victory Field in Indianapolis. He tallied one strikeout and one walk in a scoreless inning of work.
"It's really humbling (to be named an All-Star)," he said. "You go through that entire year of rehabbing, recovering, filling out the kinks and getting back into it. Being able to be in this situation and given this opportunity, honestly all glory to God. Without him I wouldn't be in this situation. I'm just thankful to get to be out here with all these great and talented players."
While Perkins may be back out competing, he admits that he isn't quite 100 percent. He is still feeling a bit of the after effects from the surgery, particularly after his first outing in the league where he was "pretty shaken up for the next few days". Regardless, he continues to make meaningful strides, and is progressing towards a full recovery.
"Each week it's getting better, I'm progressing each week," he said. "I'm kinda getting to that phase where it's getting back to that 100% and getting a full recovery."
He's even far enough along that at one point, there were discussions about possibly making a return for the 2020 postseason. That is, before the season was cancelled one month into competition due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
"There was talk of potentially being available for postseason play, that I could be coming back depending on how I was feeling," Perkins said. "But it was one of those 50/50 chances. I was fully set to come back if needed, but I was also alright with sitting the whole year out and coming back for 2021"
Louisville was 13-4 overall and 2-1 in conference play at the time of the season's cancellation, and ranked as high as the No. 2 team in the country. They had previously been tabbed as the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, and were voted by league coaches as the favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Now all eyes are fixated on the 2021 collegiate baseball season. With the departure of starting pitchers Reid Detmers and Bobby Miller after being selected in the 2020 MLB Draft, Perkins' name is immediately elevated into contention for a spot in the starting rotation. He has aspirations to be named as the No. 1 starter in the rotation and pitch on Friday nights, but also is content with helping Louisville win in other roles.
"I'm just hoping to do whatever the team needs to win. Obviously I'm shooting for that Friday spot, and I think there's going to be a lot of competition coming this fall," he said. "We got a lot of guys coming back, we got a lot of great pitchers on our team. It's gonna be interesting to see what happens next year, but I'm excited to do what I can to compete for Friday."
With roughly two months until Louisville Baseball's fall practice, and seven months until college baseball's 2021 Opening Day, the Cardinals' roster and starting lineup heading into next season is far from concrete. But for Jack Perkins, and his journey back from one of the more devastating injuries in baseball, it is a long road that has nearly reached its end.
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