Recovering from Tommy John surgery as a baseball player is a tough process. The time, the uncertainty and not even being able to play catch can on an off-day make a ballplayer go mad. But Oregon ace Cole Irvin, who’s 2014 campaign was cut short due to an injury that required his surgery, is now able to throw a baseball again. He talked to the Emerald about the status of his recovery and his feelings about the healing process.
How’re you feeling?
Feeling good. I’m coming back strong. Summer went well and rehabbing went really well over summer so everything looks up right now. But you never know, though. You have to prepare yourself for setbacks.
Have you been on a mound?
Yeah, I do a lot of dry work. You know the moment you get off a mound and are injured you just want to get right back on it. So even though I won’t be throwing or anything off of it, I do a lot of visualization. Just a lot of things that will help me get prepared for the season.
When did you first throw something?
I can’t remember. It’s on my Instagram. It was like 30 feet at the beginning of summer. The first throw was very tentative. Then the second throw was loose like, OK I can throw now, I’m OK, I’m comfortable. But the favorite thing of a baseball player is to play catch. There is nothing better than playing catch. That was exciting to play catch for the first time again.
Do you think there will still be some of that tentativeness when you first take a mound?
I’ve gotten to throw enough now where I’m going to be confident when I get on the mound. I know my limits and on my protocol it tells me I need to be at 75 percent or 50 percent, not full blown go for it. I need to progress and be patient and know that it’s going to take time.
What were the actual games like for you last year? 
The experience, and I did a lot of it over summer, was coaching. But I don’t coach my teammates, I help my teammates. That was the biggest thing I learned throughout this whole process was the fact I got to help my teammates which made our team better. Whether or not I pitched on the field, I still helped contribute to a team and what we did last year. I pride myself that I’m still able to be a veteran guy and still able to help our team get better.
Do you feel like you can be the guy you were your freshman year and even better next year?
I’m not going to live up to any expectations. Yeah, there is an expectation for myself, but coming off a surgery you can’t weigh yourself down with the expectations you had, especially for me off my freshman year. Because that was my freshman year, and this is a new year with a new group of guys and a new pursuit for a dream.
Follow Andrew Bantly on Twitter @abant3