Two short years ago, Lakeridge pitcher Calvin Gregory seemed to be on the cusp of a very promising varsity baseball career.
But everything that’s happened to Gregory since then has made the past two years very long ones indeed.
During his freshman season with the Pacers, Gregory served as a left-handed closer for a team that won the Three Rivers League, went 25-6 overall, took the top seed into the Class 6A state playoffs and eventually reached the state semifinals.
But from there, Gregory’s baseball world fell apart, beginning with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, followed by Tommy John surgery in April of 2022. Then, during the midst of his rehab from surgery, Gregory broke his hip while playing basketball in November of 2023.
After eight weeks on crutches and continued rehabilitation on both his left elbow and hip, there was more trouble ahead. When he finally returned to throwing the baseball, there was more discomfort in his left elbow which led to surgery to relocate his ulnar nerve in February of 2024.
“It was just nonstop, just one thing after the next for 18 months,” said Gregory, 18. “Straight from April 2023 to last February, I was just doing rehab stuff the whole time.”
Dark times
While Gregory tried to remain upbeat during his time away from the Lakeridge baseball team – he missed all of the 2023 and 2024 spring seasons – it wasn’t always easy.
“There was definitely a lot of doubt,” he admitted. “Getting hurt like that, repetitively, I was definitely getting some doubt. But that doesn’t help anyone, so I just had to fight through it.”
And fight through it he did. His own work ethic and the top-notch care Gregory received along the way both played important roles in his eventual return to health and fitness. A self-described “gym rat,” Gregory added 30 pounds of muscle during his two years away from competition, while his Tommy John surgery was performed by the same surgeon who helps players on the Texas Rangers.
After undergoing what his doctors thought would be sufficient rehabilitation on both his arm and hip, Gregory felt he might be finally ready for a return to the mound — but his left arm still didn’t feel right.
“My arm still felt weird. It was like that feeling when you hit your funny bone,” he said. “I kept getting that every time I threw.”
As it turned out, the scar issue from Gregory’s Tommy John surgery had trapped his ulnar nerve, a situation that set the table for his latest surgery — a procedure called ulnar transposition — back in February.
A long-awaited return
When it finally came time for Gregory’s return to baseball, he could hardly have chosen a bigger stage. He threw in front of MLB scouts during a tryout for the 2024 Area Code Games on July 8 at the University of Portland. The Area Code Games features the top 160 high school junior and senior baseball players from across the country.
Despite the pressure he felt and despite the rust he carried, Gregory performed.
“It was nerve-wracking, even though I had no expectations,” he said. “I got invited and I hadn’t had any chance to work on pitches yet, so it was very nerve-wracking. But I felt like I threw really well, which was surprising, considering I had to shake off one-and-a-half years of rust. The best thing was that I finally got to start throwing again. My body finally felt good again.”
Going into his Area Code Games tryout, Gregory just wanted the chance to perform. Coming out of that day, however, he ended up with a berth on the Royals team in the 2024 Area Code Games.
“When I found out I actually made the team, I was like, ‘Yeah. I did not expect that,’” Gregory said.
That set the table for his participation in the 2024 AC Games, a five-day showcase at Blair Field in Long Beach, California, from Aug. 8-13. While Gregory’s opportunities there were modest — he threw two innings in the Royals’ 6-3 loss to the Yankees on Tuesday, Aug. 13 — the chance to pitch again meant the world to him.
Gregory proved he was ready for his moment in the spotlight, too. After seeing his fastball top out at 90.1 MPH in his freshman year, he bumped that number up to 90.4 at the AC Games tryouts, then hit 94 miles per hour in his lone appearance at the Area Code Games.
“I was basically throwing the same speed (at the AC Games tryouts as I threw as a freshman), and then, at the actual Area Code Games, I hit 94,” Gregory said. “I’d only thrown a couple of lower-effort bullpens before that and I was probably at 85-86 (miles per hour), but I hadn’t really gotten off the leash yet. Once I got off the leash there and got to let my body go, I realized, ‘Yeah. This is gonna work out.’’’
What’s ahead
To be honest, no one knows for sure what’s ahead for Gregory, but if he stays healthy, it seems like the sky is the limit.
“My body feels great now, like a normal human arm,” Gregory said. “It took a while to get strong, but now it’s finally doing good. I can run, jump, do anything. I’ve got a massive 10-inch scar on my leg because I had an open-hip surgery, but it just makes for a cool story to tell when people see it.”
Outside his personal goals, however, Gregory just wants to help the Pacers chase a Class 6A state championship in 2025.
“We’ve got a really good group, so (winning) state is definitely a goal,” Gregory said. “Personally, I’m gonna keep throwing through the fall and try to ramp up for the season.
“But I’m just getting started … so I’m gonna keep throwing through the fall to build up some endurance for the spring. I’m hoping by then, I’ll be ready to throw six, seven innings and go out there and perform really well all year. That’s the goal.”
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