University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Baseball' Russum Will Redshirt This Season
1/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Baseball?s Russum Will Redshirt This Season
?After consulting with the doctor, his parents and with me, Cliff made the final decision to redshirt this season,? Palmer said. ?He will return and pitch in 2006. I?m encouraged with the way his rehab has gone. If it were professional baseball, he could probably pitch in a game in May.
?Getting re-injured would hurt his career here at Southern Miss and at the next level,? Palmer added. ?It hasn?t been easy on Cliff, he is one of the most competitive people I?ve ever coached. It is tough, but he will be pain free in 2006 and as good as he has pitched, we haven?t seen the best. If he is pain free, he can be as good as anyone in the country.?
Russum, who had surgery in July to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder, finished the 2004 season with a 6-4 record and 3.93 ERA and 64 strikeouts. He is 15-11 with a 3.46 ERA for his career, including 175 strikeouts.
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?It?s bad timing on everything,? Russum said. ?Rehab has gone well and my arm feels great. It?s the case of getting re-injured and the chance of never picking up a baseball again. I couldn?t sit back and think about that happening. I think my best chance is to sit out this year and let my arm completely heal and come back when I?m 100 percent.?
Southern Miss opens its season Feb. 18, with a 3 p.m., game against future Conference
Additional Comments From Cliff Russum:
On If He?s Coming To Terms With Not Pitching This Year:
?I knew this was a possibility since I had surgery. It?s taken me a while to understand that this is what I needed to do. Right after surgery, I was convinced that I could pitch this year. That?s just the competitive side of me talking. I had to realize that it is in my best interest for my arm to heal completely, instead of throwing at 50 or 75 percent.?
On If It Has Been Hard Watching His Teammates In Practice:
?It has been tough watching them in practice. The hardest is to come. We start our season on Feb. 18 and I should be out there, but I won?t be. But this will help me in the long run.?
On If He Is Concerned About Re-Injury Once It Heals:
?Once it has completely healed, it should be good. In the healing process, if you try to overdo it, you run the risk of injury. Once it is healed, there should be no problems.?
On How The Rehab Has Been:
?I?ve been on the mound and throwing light. You ease your way up each week. It?s going to take a while and you?ve got to throw curveballs eventually. It takes a while to get the feel back and back into the comfort zone. I haven?t had any problems. My arm feels better than it has in years. I couldn?t ask to be any healthier.?
On If His Arm Feeling Good Makes The Decision Harder:
?It would be a lot easier if I had problems. I haven?t had problems yet and things have gone great. It just takes a long time to heal and get back to 100 percent.?
Additional Comments From Head Coach Corky Palmer:
On How This Affects The Pitching Rotation:
?I was going to let Cliff make the decision. I went into preparations for this season thinking if he was able to pitch, it would be an added bonus. I was going on the assumption that he would be unable to pitch. It takes nine to 12 months for an injury like that to heal. Cliff is ahead of schedule. But if you think about him being back next year in our rotation, that?s a comforting thought. I think he?ll be as good as he?s ever been.?
On Who Will Be In The Starting Rotation:
?Patrick Ezell moved to Friday after Cliff got hurt, with Cole Bessinger and Mike Cashion as the weekend starters. Barry Bowden is the wildcard. He?s a gifted pitcher who is coming off arm surgery. He will be a key player for us. Hopefully he will take up some slack.?
