Injuries do little to hold back Pioneers ace

At this point, it would be appropriate to put Matt Brown in a body cast.

But in order for that to work, the 19-year-old Powell Pioneers ace would have to stop pitching, and that’s just not going to happen.

Brown, a 6-4, 180-pound hard-throwing lefty has endured a slew of injuries this season, but continues to pitch — and pitch well — despite what should be sidelining setbacks.

“I don’t know how to explain it. It’s pretty remarkable,” Pioneers head coach Jason Borders said of Brown’s ability to play through injury.

What Borders has trouble explaining is how Brown has found a way to pitch 36 innings of baseball this season despite a bad blister on his glove hand, a jammed thumb, a jarred shoulder and bulging disks in his back. What’s even more astonishing is that Brown has managed to collect a team-leading four wins to go with 38 strikeouts and a sparkling team-high earned run average of 1.75.

“It’s just Matt wanting to get out there and do his job,” Borders suggested.

For Brown, who is in his third year of legion baseball, it’s not so much about about playing through the pain as it is just playing. He’s as much a passionate fan of the game as he is a player, and that fuels him, he said. He’s been dealing with the displaced disks in his lower back for several seasons, but strung together his other assorted injuries in a span of two games on June 19-20 during the Ed Lynn Memorial Wood Bat Tournament in Powell.

While laying down a successful suicide squeeze bunt against Lovell in the tournament opener, the pitch Brown bunted struck him on his right index finger, producing a blood blister the size of a nickel. He told no one until stepping back on the mound, and kept pitching for the win in a five-inning shutout. The next day, a Billings baserunner collided with Brown (who was playing first base) near the first base bag, jamming back his left thumb and shoulder at the same time. He’s now wearing tape on his left wrist, and to nobody’s surprise, he’s kept playing.

“A lot of it’s mental I think. You’re going to be sore most games anyway, so it’s just about how willing you are to go out there and pitch,” Brown said. “It’s pretty tough, but I like playing baseball a lot, and there’s not a whole lot that’s going to stop me from playing.”

Brown’s resiliency hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially by longtime teammate and fellow 19-year-old pitcher Cory Heny. When Heny isn’t pitching, he’s often playing shortstop, and isn’t afraid to let Brown know he’s behind him when he sees his teammate struggling physically on the mound.

“Its got to be pretty tough. Pitching is probably the toughest position to play,” Heny said. “You’re using every part of your body and you feel it at the end of the game; it’s hard.

“But I don’t think it’s too surprising (that Brown plays through pain). I feel like by now, he’s kind of getting used to it to where he never expects to feel 100 percent.”

Never truly being at full strength has had some adverse effects on Brown. While he’s given up less than a hit an inning and only nine earned runs, he’s issued 26 walks and hit two batters. A portion of those struggles can likely be attributed to Brown’s back problems, and an inability to locate his pitches at times due to a need to tweak his pitching delivery to reduce pain. It’s a battle that sometimes takes a toll on Brown. He said he sometimes tries to conceal when he’s hurting, but other times, he gets angry or tries to shake it off with a laugh.

“I think a lot of times, I try to fake it and act like I’m not as hurt, especially during games. The guys will notice, and you don’t want to get them down and have it affect them on the field,” Brown said. “I get mad about it, but at the same time there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. Injuries come with sports, you’ve got to expect it. You’ve got to laugh about it once in a while — you can’t stay mad about it or you’re not going to go out there and perform.”

When he’s performing at his best, Brown is one of the top strikeout pitchers in A ball. But when his back tells him ‘That’s enough’, he’s found craftier ways to get through innings successfully.

“Pitching is probably one of the most violent things you can do to your body. You’re going from zero to 100 real quick,” he said. “I’ve had to learn to adjust. I go out there and try to throw strikes to do what I can to get ground balls and make it a little easier on myself.”

And while things are getting easier for Brown despite his pain on the mound, he’s continued to make at-bats against him a pain for opposing hitters.

“He’s all about doing his job and doing it right, and getting the job done,” Borders added. “We talked about that when he was 16 and you’ve seen him grow in that way as far as selflessness goes.

“He’s just a good kid. He’s hard nosed and he wants to play baseball.”