After undergoing Tommy John Surgery last year, Roman Kimball is making his comeback to pitching Division One baseball with the Gamecocks.
Redshirt sophomore Roman Kimball transferred from the University of Notre Dame to South Carolina after his freshman season. At Notre Dame, he pitched a perfect 4-0 and had 32 strikeouts in 25 innings. Kimball helped the team advance to the College World Series in 2022.
Before his collegiate career, Kimball was the No. 1 right-handed pitcher recruit out of New York.
He was named a 2021 Perfect Game Preseason All-American - Northeast All-Region First Team. And in 2020, Kimball earned the title of Perfect Game Preseason Underclassman All-American - Northeast All-Region Second Team.
Kimball spent one year with the Fighting Irish, but his fresh start with the Gamecocks didn't go as planned. His first season was cut when he sustained a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament of his elbow, a season-ending injury.
He took the field for the first time on Sunday as a Gamecock after recovering from Tommy John surgery last fall.
Kimball remembers the day of his injury as a “tough day." He noticed he was throwing extra hard in warm-ups and was averaging about 95 mph, which is faster and harder than he typically throws. He said he was used to a range around 92-94 mph.
According to Kimball, he was about 20 pitches into the first inning of a scrimmage — first throwing a fastball, which he said got away from him, then throwing a changeup.
"I just felt it go," Kimball said.
His athletic trainer originally diagnosed him with a flexor strain, but Kimball said he knew subconsciously at the time that it was more serious.
Kimball's injury ended up being more severe and required Tommy John surgery, a common procedure for pitchers that requires at least a year of recovery.
Tommy John surgery, named after the pitcher who first underwent the procedure and successfully returned to baseball, is performed when a ligament in the elbow joint is torn. A healthy tendon is taken from elsewhere in the body and reattached to the elbow.
“I remember getting into the tunnel, and I was just like, 'Man.' I was so defeated because that's obviously the worst injury you can get — one of the worst, I should say," Kimball said.
Head coach Mark Kingston announced in January 2023 that Kimball would miss the entirety of the 2023 season due to the injury.
For the last 14 months, Kimball has managed his injury with the help of his teammates. Redshirt sophomore pitcher Sam Simpson and sophomore pitcher Eli Jerzembeck, who both experienced the same injury just a year prior, encouraged Kimball during his recovery. Kimball said it was helpful to pick their brains about the process.
Junior catcher Cole Messina said Kimball has been working extremely hard and looked impressive in the team's scrimmage.
"(Kimball) works hard every day. He shows up with a mindset that he's going to be better than everybody — not in the locker room — but better than his opponents," Messina said.
Kimball's return to baseball came in the third game of the season for South Carolina. He started Sunday's game against Miami University and had a successful day on the mound. He struck out five hitters in just two innings, helping the team earn a combined no-hitter. The game ended with a Gamecock win and a score of 14-0.
Kimball said his start was everything that he had hoped for, despite his nervousness.
“I remember walking back from the bullpen with Cole (Messina) and just being like, 'Man, I'm just taking this all in,'" Kimball said.
Kingston commended Kimball on his return and hard work in rehab. He said he was impressed with Kimball's breaking ball and his fastball, which he threw between 93-95 mph. Kimball had a predetermined pitch limit that coaches planned on keeping him at, but they will increase that number each time he pitches, Kingston said.
A pitch limit is set so players do not injure or reinjure themselves in play, promoting player safety.
It's hard to know behind the scenes how much these guys have to go through to come back from Tommy John (surgery), and it was just really good to see his hard work get rewarded today," Kingston said.
Kimball said he was excited and emotional to be back in the competitive atmosphere that he had missed out on during his recovery.
“To be able to be back out here today with my brothers and my teammates, and compete and have some fun out there and scream a little bit, just to be in that competitive nature again, it was everything to me," Kimball said. "I’m so glad to be able to have my teammates here to be able to watch it, my parents and everybody who's supported me over the last two years throughout this injury. It means the world to me.”
