Columbus East graduate and Wright State sophomore Julian Greenwell connects with a pitch.
Photo courtesy of Wright State Athletics
A setback in one aspect of his game hasn’t hindered the other facet of Julian Greenwell’s game.
A two-way player at Wright State the past two years, Greenwell hasn’t been able to pitch this season after undergoing Tommy John Surgery last summer. But the Columbus East graduate has been on a tear hitting the baseball and is having his best hitting season since arriving on campus.
“This is the most confident that I’ve been in my three years at Wright State,” Greenwell said. “I feel confident in the box. I feel confident in my approach. I’m trusting my swing, and good things will happen. It’s been a good start for me, and hopefully, I can keep that going throughout the rest of the year.””
Last week, Greenwell was named Horizon League Hitter of the Week for his performance the previous week. That last week of March, Greenwell, batted .625 with eight RBIs and seven runs scored in four games, including a three-game sweep at Northern Kentucky.
“It’s definitely a proud moment for myself,” Greenwell said. “We have a lot of good hitters on my team and a lot of good hitters throughout the Horizon League. But I know I can’t be satisfied. I have to keep working, keep producing. I hope I have a few more in me.”
For the season, Greenwell ranks second on the Raiders with a .341 average and 24 RBIs. He has five doubles, two triples and three home runs.
“Definitely just trusting the work I put in throughout the season and throughout the offseason and staying calm in the box, understanding that I can only control what I can do in the box,” Greenwell said. “I just try to play the game as hard as I can and hope for the best.”
Greenwell played in 13 games with 10 starts in the outfield and had five pitching appearances, all in relief. in a 2020 season that was shortened because of the COVID pandemic. Last year, he played in 26 games with eight starts and again had five pitching appearances, all in relief.
But last June, the left-hander had Tommy John UCL reconstructive surgery.
“It was pretty difficult mentally, wondering if I’d ever get back to 100 percent,” Greenwell said. “But I did a lot of rehab and am still doing rehab. It was hard right after surgery. I wanted to come back right away. I wanted to pitch again. I wanted to hit again. It was probably six or seven months, but I’m happy with where I’m at now.”
This spring, Greenwell has been throwing every day, but with the mindset that he likely won’t pitch in a game this season. But he is content with just being a hitter for now.
“I had a pretty good idea of that coming in after surgery,” Greenwell said. “I think my arm still needs a little bit of time before I’m ready to get on the mound again. I’ve been playing first base, which is a little less stressful on the arm. My arm does feel good. Obviously, I love being a two-way, but it’s nice to have a little break from the mound and be able to concentrate on hitting and defense. For the remainder of the year, I’m going to stick with hitting, and if my arm keeps progressing, I’ll have a chance to get back on the mound, whether it’s this summer or fall.”
Greenwell, who led East to a Class 4A state runner-up finish in 2019, played mostly in the outfield when he wasn’t pitching in high school and his first two years of college. This year, he’s playing first base for the first time since he was a 14-year-old playing travel baseball.
“I’ve gotten the hang of it pretty well,” Greenwell said. “I’ve picked it back up, and I enjoy it.”
Like most college baseball players, Greenwell is hoping to be able to eventually play at the professional level. He just doesn’t know if his best chance would be as a hitter or a pitcher.
“Before surgery, I definitely thought that I could be picked up as a pitcher,” Greenwell said. “I’ve always loved pitching, but I’ve loved hitting more. Now, I see that my best chance may be as a hitter. If I’m able to pitch, that would be awesome, but if not, I’m happy with where I’m at.”
Greenwell’s surge at the plate has coincided with his team’s improvement. After starting 0-6, the Raiders were back to 12-13 and had won six of the past seven going into Wednesday’s game at Cincinnati as part of the Joe Nuxhall Classic. That game had been rescheduled from a Tuesday rainout.
“We got off to a slow start,” Greenwell said. “We played a pretty tough non-conference schedule, but we competed pretty well against those teams. We’re headed in the right direction. Our end goal is to win the conference championship and make it to regional and maybe win a regional. I think we can only get better from here.”
