University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Coming Back
February 23, 2006 | Baseball
Feb. 23, 2006
This year's expanded Carolina baseball game day program includes more information than ever. There's a new program for each weekend and weekday series, and each edition includes a new column on the Diamond Heels plus up-to-date stats for both teams. The following story ran in the Coastal Carolina game program--check out the latest edition Friday through Sunday at the Bosh against George Washington for a new column.
When freshman Luke Putkonen takes the mound Tuesday against Coastal Carolina, he'll hope for a better reception than he received when he pitched in his first intrasquad scrimmage last fall.
Putkonen spent the 2005 campaign rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. It's a procedure that has grown considerably more commonplace in college baseball in recent years; once thought to be nearly career-threatening, it's now a regular feature of many successful college pitchers.
But it still requires a considerable rehabilitation process. So Carolina head coach Mike Fox wanted to recognize Putkonen's dedication when he sent the Marietta native to the hill during fall practice.
"Hey guys," Fox said to his team, "Let's give this guy a hand. He has really worked hard to get back to the point that he can pitch for this team."
Putkonen stood on the mound a little sheepishly while his entire team applauded him. It was an emotional moment.
Then Reid Fronk stepped into the batter's box.
And promptly hit a home run on the first pitch he saw.
"No one really knew what to do," Fox says with a smile. "We just started laughing. I told Luke I had jinxed him big-time."
In typically understated Putkonen style, he bounced back and struck out the next hitter and pitched two more solid innings. That's exactly what the squad expected from a pitcher who would have been among the leading contenders for a weekday starting role if he had been healthy in 2005.
"When he started throwing this year, he was a step ahead of the other freshmen because of his redshirt year," senior closer Jonathan Hovis says. "It's been impressive the way he was able to go ahead and adjust to things he learned last year. He's tough and he's got some good pitches."
And he's got a defined role for the 2006 Diamond Heels. He's the primary weekday starter, which means he'll be exposed to some quality competition (starts could potentially come against NCAA Tournament teams Coastal Carolina, VCU, and Winthrop) without the pressure of a weekend series. Next season, when it's possible that the entire Tar Heel weekend rotation could be gone, he'll be a contender for a weekend slot.
As long as he can avoid the Mike Fox jinx.
Editor's Note: Putkonen gave up just 1 hit in 5.2 innings against Coastal Carolina, earning his first collegiate win.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and provides color analysis on Tar Heel baseball radio broadcasts. He can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. He is also the coauthor of the official book of the 2005 championship season, Led By Their Dreams, and his book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about Going Home Again, click here.
