Mothers can be wrong

Jordie

My son, Jordie, is a 19-year-old student at Wayland Baptist University and a freshman pitcher on the baseball team.

I readily admit I never thought I would see the day he was on a college team, much less actually pitching in real games.

Wait, before you tell me I'm horrible for not believing in my son, I must explain.

I've always had faith in Jordie. I did not, however, trust an unconventional route into college baseball. I mean that, to the best of my knowledge, generally only the "star" athletes go on to play college ball — in any sport.

While Jordie has always been great in my eyes, and I've always truly, truly believed he is gifted at pitching, the fact is, his high school baseball career mostly produced disappointment and frustration for him. He faced a nagging elbow injury, and when he was healthy — whether right or wrong — he played "behind" other players.

Plain and simple: This type of play severely limits a kid's chance to get noticed by college recruiters.
In fact, Jordie missed his entire senior baseball season because he had elbow surgery. He had little faith that he would play much his senior year, so he chose to be recovering from surgery during that time in hopes of playing a successful summer season in which he might get noticed right before college.

The elbow didn't cooperate, though, and I had begun to believe Jordie had let go of the college baseball dream ... until he played a tournament at the very end of the summer before college was to begin, and one of the summer coaches let him pitch just for fun because it was like a "last hurrah" for him, or something.

Jordie flat killed it on the mound, and his baseball dream was reborn.

I wanted to punch that coach in the face.

How dare he introduce my child to more heartache? I mean, really! Who misses all that baseball and still gets to play in college?

I was even more upset when I discovered that Jordie, his dad and my dad all wanted Jordie to have Tommy John surgery on his elbow so that maybe, just maybe, the elbow problem would be fixed, once and for all.

 

Dad, Jordie, and Dave: Partners in crime ...

Even worse, this meant that while he rehabbed his elbow, Jordie would have to go to college part time his first year just to keep his playing eligibility ... with no guarantee he would be playing anywhere at all!

I could not believe that after all the disappointment he had faced, Jordie was willing to delay college — his life — and set himself up for more possible heartache.

But I begrudgingly went along with the plan. I knew my relationship with Jordie was far more important than being "right." I also believed he might as well follow his dreams while he's young, rather than live with regrets later. I kept thinking that if he figured out he had made a mistake, he could get back on the college track fairly easily. And if, by chance, things worked out his way, then great! I would gladly, gladly be wrong.

So, the Tommy John happened last year, at the beginning of his freshman year of college. He attended Amarillo College part time, and he worked.

And he worked and worked and worked on his recovery and rehabilitation program. I have never seen that kid work so hard for something.

That is the true source of my pride.

Jordie developed a driven, admirable work ethic he has followed relentlessly since that surgery. He has never missed a workout. Even when we took him to New York for his 19th birthday last April, he insisted on working out while on vacation.

He tried out for teams last summer when his arm was about 80 to 90 percent ready. (I didn't even know you could do that ...) Disappointments became learning experiences. One major upset became a great blessing for him when constructive feedback from one college coach motivated Jordie into changing his pitching coach to Chance Douglass, also a Randall High School graduate.

With that, Jordie's pitching delivery, accuracy and speed improved almost immediately.

A few tryouts later and by the end of the summer, Wayland chose Jordie and Jordie chose Wayland.

At 6-feet, four-inches tall and 195 pounds, Jordie played in his first two college baseball games last week. He started in one over the weekend. Here is what his coach, Brad Bass, said about him in a story published on Wayland's web site:

Jordie Henry threw four and two-thirds of solid baseball in his first collegiate start, striking out four and allowing just one run.

"Jordie has looked good from the get go," Bass said of his freshman pitcher. "It's one thing to look good in practice and another to look good in a game, but still another thing to look that good against a great team. He did an amazing job and all I could think of was that I have this guy for four years. He's going to fill out and get better over the years…and he's going to be really, really good."

Uh ... wow ... That brings tears to my eyes.

I realize the season just began. I realize Jordie is a freshman. And I realize that lots of things can happen in this game and in life. I choose to be optimistic, though. 

If Jordie's arm can stay healthy and he continues moving forward with this coach who believes in him, I think his hard work and determination will continue to pay off for him, and he will see more success, both personally and with his team. 

... and, you know ... even the most well-meaning of moms don't know everything ...

I am so, so very proud of this boy.