Indiana State’s Cole Gilley pitches during a baseball game against Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 21, 2023 at Centennial Park in Port Charlotte, Florida.
Mike Janes | Four Seam Images
It was on Jan. 26, 2022, when Cole Gilley felt a pop during a live throwing session.
Not thinking much of it at first, he threw a fastball and felt it pop again. This time, his fingers started to tingle and go numb. That was when Gilley knew something was wrong. He suspected that it was an ulnar collateral ligament injury, and his suspicion was later confirmed that he tore his UCL and was going to miss the entire 2022 season to have Tommy John surgery.
A year later, Gilley is back on the mound and pitching for the Indiana State baseball team in some games this season.
“The process went along really smoothly. Obviously, the news was terrible,” Gilley said. “I didn’t ever want that to happen, but it was something that kind of happened. I had no arm pain. It was a freak accident. Right now, my arm feels great.”
When Gilley, a 2020 Columbus East graduate, felt the pop, he had an MRI done later that day, but because their was a lot of fluid in his elbow, the MRI didn’t show a clear picture. He went to Indianapolis the following week to get an ultrasound, which confirmed his UCL was officially torn. Gilley did have the option to repair with an internal brace, but he didn’t feel comfortable having the same UCL in his elbow, so he opted for the full reconstructive surgery, which happened on Feb. 2, 2022.
Following surgery, Gilley wasn’t allowed to throw for four months. During that time, it was mostly therapy and building up his shoulder and smaller muscles around the elbow to protect the UCL. He added that getting his range of motion back was one of the biggest priorities.
After the four months, he spent 12 weeks throwing from flat ground. For his first day, it was 15 throws at 30 feet. It progressed to more throws from longer distances as the 12 weeks passed. The maximum distance Gilley got to was at 120 feet. He did those sessions for three days a week.
Indiana State’s Cole Gilley pitches during a baseball game against Northeastern on Feb. 25, 2023 at Centennial Park in Port Charlotte, Florida.
Mike Janes | Four Seam Images
Following the 12-week flat ground throwing session, another 12 weeks was spent with mound progression. During those sessions, Gilley would start with flat ground throwing and eventually progress to where he was throwing off the mound. He ended up doing that for three days a week.
“The throwing progression was a long time, but it felt like it went by really, really fast just because you were able to pick up a baseball and actually feel like you were a baseball player again,” Gilley said.
Indiana State’s Cole Gilley pitches during a baseball game against Northeastern on Feb. 25, 2023 at Centennial Park in Port Charlotte, Florida.
Mike Janes | Four Seam Images
He was cleared to play at the end of December, but then had a slight hiccup toward the end of his mound progression due to tricep tendinitis. Gilley mentioned that he couldn’t do a push-up at the time due to the setback. He eventually got cleared and resumed his activities.
After that 12-week session, he was cleared to play without any restrictions. Ironically, his first live session happened to be on the one-year anniversary of tearing his UCL initially.
“I feel completely normal, back to where I was before,” Gilley said. “Obviously, the command was something early on that was tough, but coming back from Tommy John, your command is one of the last things that comes back. That was frustrating during the whole progression, but I feel completely normal. When I get sore, it’s the normal soreness I had before and nothing unusual, which is really nice. It’s been a really smooth process. It was a lot smoother than I thought it was going to be. I’m really happy with how it all worked out.”
Cole Gilley
Gilley threw for the first time for the Sycamores this season for two innings in a game against Florida Gulf Coast on Feb. 21. Four days later, he pitched again in a game against Northeastern for another two innings. He’s appeared on the mound in five games this season.
Indiana State is 23-12 overall. The Sycamores have been on a hot streak. They’re on an 11-game winning streak and have won 15 of their past 16 contests. Their most recent win came Tuesday against No. 4-ranked Vanderbilt.
“I’ve been really happy. I’m glad I’m able to pitch again. My arm has been feeling good,” Gilley said. “Obviously, as a competitor, you want to throw more, but right now, love seeing the team win and doing anything I can to help the team win. When the opportunity comes, I’ll make sure I’m prepared to go out there and help our team win.”
