From Tommy John Surgery to Two-Time NCAC Pitcher of the Year

Early on, as a member of The College of Wooster baseball team, it was apparent that Jon Oliver would go down as one of the best pitchers in school history, however, his career took a significant detour that actually made him end up being more effective, smarter, and stronger on the mound.

After going 8-2 with a 3.91 earned run average and 74 strikeouts during 73.2 innings pitched, which led to 2003 North Coast Athletic Conference Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, he faced the possibility of his playing days coming to an end. When Oliver started summer ball between his freshman and sophomore seasons, his arm was not feeling right, and after a few weeks, he phoned a doctor with a recognizable name who was opening a facility specifically for younger athletes in his hometown area.

The doctor, Cincinnati Reds’ team physician Tim Kremcheck, immediately saw Oliver and told him that he would require Tommy John surgery. A familiar term for baseball fans, as its named after the first Major League pitcher to endure the operation 30-plus years ago, the medical procedure is defined as ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction. In layman’s terms, there is a tear of the ligament inside one’s elbow that is repaired by replacing it with another tendon from the body.

Oliver was shocked at first. “I knew there was a chance I might never play again,” he said.

Thanks to early detection, modern technology (approximately 75 current major leaguers have had Tommy John surgery), and most importantly, a lot of hard work by Oliver, he was able to come back. In fact, Oliver was throwing competitively at eight months when his original prognosis had been 10, which would have meant not pitching at all as a sophomore.

Oliver was able to get to that point through a sheer personal desire to return to the playing field. “The only thing on my mind was I’m going to do whatever I have to do to get back,” he said.

So, almost every morning from the fall semester of 2003 right up to the following spring break, he’d report to the training room early in the morning before classes. There, he’d warm up on the exercise bike and then perform a variety of forced resistance and stretching exercises to increase the strength in his shoulder and return the range of motion in his arm to where it was before.

“There’s no question, (Jon’s) rehab was greatly accelerated to what you would normally see,” reported long-time Wooster athletic trainer Tom Love after the 2004 season. “Obviously, he had a very good surgeon, but it’s a testament to his work ethic and mental toughness. The norm for the people that come back 100 percent from that surgery is 12-18 months.”

Love also added, “Fortunately, we haven’t seen a lot of people with that type of surgery here, but I’ve never seen anybody come back to throw competitively in less than a year.”

With a pitch count of 75, Oliver started throwing four-to-five innings during the spring break trip and steadily increased his work load from there. Despite primarily only throwing fastballs and change-ups the whole season, Oliver put together a 6-2 record, 3.70 ERA, and 44 strikeouts over a staff-leading 10 starts and 58.1 innings, and he landed on the All-NCAC Second Team for the second-straight season.

Oliver’s arm continued to get stronger and he also took on more of a leadership role entering his junior campaign. Serving as the ace of the staff, Oliver went a perfect 7-0 in 13 starts with a 2.29 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 78.2 innings en route to collecting a bevy of postseason accolades, highlighted by the conference’s Pitcher-of-the-Year award and second-team All-American honors. Most importantly, though, Oliver played a key role in leading Wooster to the 2005 NCAA Div. III National Baseball Championship Series, which he declared as his career highlight. Oliver helped the Scots to a third-place finish via a quality start (7.0 innings) in their 7-6 opening win there.

Oliver was even more effective in his senior year. He again did not suffer a loss, going 8-0 in 10 starts and 13 overall appearances while accumulating a 1.99 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 68.0 innings. Wooster was ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in Div. III the entire regular season and Oliver was tabbed NCAC Pitcher of the Year, becoming just the third in league history to earn that award twice. An unexpected two-and-out during the postseason for the team, though, may have cost him another All-American nod.

It also may have cost Oliver some school records. He ended up as the Scots’ all-time leader in games started (43), but second in both innings pitched (278.2) and strikeouts (256), just 13 behind the record holder in the latter.

The others who were NCAC Pitcher of the Year multiple times were Allegheny College’s Jeff Mountatin (1999-00), now the head coach at Washington & Jefferson College, and Wooster’s own Matt Englander (2001-02), who tutored Oliver as an assistant with his alma mater for the last four years and was recently named the head coach at Case Western Reserve University.

Ironically, Oliver’s professional career appears to be headed in a similar direction. After his 91 miles per hour fastball and pin-point accuracy – Oliver only walked 46 batters over 278.2 career innings – did not entice any teams to draft him in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, Oliver will replace Englander as the Scots’ top assistant.

“Eventually, I think I want to be a collegiate coach, (but) I have to learn the ropes and see where it takes me.”