Long road to recovery

TROY – It would have been easy for Troy pitcher A.J. Howard to give up, especially after he’s waited three years to finally see results after labrum surgery.

Howard was one of the top pitchers in the Wiregrass, and the state, as he dominated at Houston County High School and for Dothan Post 12.

But labrum surgery on his left (throwing) shoulder after his freshman year, one where he went 3-1 for the Trojans and got a win over Alabama in Montgomery, delayed hopes of transitioning the dominance to the college level.

With one season left, and Howard just now getting back to where he was physically, and over the mental hump, he’s looking to shine in a bullpen role for a Trojan team set to defend its Sun Belt Conference championship.

“I was on cloud nine (as a freshman) and started having shoulder problems and it kind of went downhill from there,” Howard said. “Coach (Bobby) Pierce always talks about fighting the good fight and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Howard said the shoulder problems probably came from overuse in high school, but it got so bad after his freshman year that the pain would wake him up in the middle of the night. Surgery was the best option, but it meant a redshirt year in 2009.

The 2010 and 2011 seasons were marked by inconsistency, as Howard pitched a combined 17 innings. Some days, the arm felt great. Others, not so much.

All pitchers seem to have arm troubles at some point, and all would rather have Tommy John (elbow) surgery than labrum surgery.

“It’s a joke among pitchers, where if I had Tommy John, I’d come back next year throwing 97 (miles per hour),” Howard said. “If you have labrum surgery, you wonder if you’re ever going to come back.

“It’s a roller coaster ride. Some days you feel like your old self, and some days you’re throwing 82 or 83. You feel fine, but you wonder what’s going on.”

Howard said he learned more how to pitch last year, as he was finally able to get back and stay consistent with his fastball in the high 80s. One big moment came in the Sun Belt Tournament, where Troy was up 4-2 in the eighth inning against Western Kentucky.

Howard was called on to pitch to a left-handed hitter, but WKU pinch-hit righty Matt Bracken. Howard ended up striking him out to end the inning.

“I struck a guy out on fastballs, which I hadn’t been able to do for a while,” Howard said. “That’s when I knew next year would be a lot better. I carried it over to the fall, and so far this spring it’s been going well.”

Pierce flashed back to March 4, 2008, when on a cold night in Montgomery, Howard pitched two scoreless innings against Alabama. In the 10^th inning, he got out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam and ended up getting the win as Troy won 5-4.

“Through five years it’s moments like that they remember, one shining moment,” Pierce said. “(The Alabama game) was, to me, what kind of set his career off and then some injuries drew it back. Then he had a moment like that in the conference tournament.

“You never know when those things are going to come, but you always hope for each guy in your program that they come.”

Because of Howard’s hard work, more moments could come this season, even though Troy’s pitching staff is deeper than it was when Howard was a freshman. Still, he already has his undergraduate degree in Sport and Fitness Management, and is in graduate school.

He’s worked some in the offseason, and hopes to train athletes or coach one day. Howard is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Howard credited his coaches and trainer Sean Boland for helping him rehab. He’s admittedly still high-strung, but doesn’t have moments like he did as a freshman where he punched a wall after a sub-par outing and broke his right hand.

“My teammates would still consider me more high strung than most, but not as bad as my freshman year where it was like a bull in a China shop,” Howard said. “Over the past four years, I’ve handled myself better. No punching walls. I’ve been able to channel that intensity into focus and concentration.

“That’s one of the good things about sticking around a long time was being able to learn.”

Teammate Tyler Ray knows how far Howard has come. The two first met when they were both getting ready for labrum surgeries, though Ray’s didn’t set him back as much because it was on his non-throwing shoulder. The two were roommates at one point and are close friends.

“He’s faced so much adversity and I couldn’t be prouder of where he is today,” Ray said. “He was very frustrated early on. He didn’t know why it happened to him, but it definitely made him who he is today.”

Howard said Pierce and assistant Mark Smartt, who both recruited Howard and have coached him since he got to Troy, have stood by him from the onset of his arm injuries.

“They’ve been beside me ever since,” Howard said. “I feel I owe it to them this last year to give it all I’ve got for sticking with me these past few years.”