TAMPA, Fla. – University of Tampa relief pitcher Carson Caso hasn’t let his long recovery from Tommy John Surgery lessen his excitement over the powerful team’s success.
The senior suffered the injury last year which required an ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction.
Despite not being ready to play yet, he enjoys the attention of being on a nearly invincible team and doesn’t feel any pressure being part of it.
‘I think we’ve embraced any pressure,” he said. “We all wear the city ‘Tampa’ across our chest and we wear it with pride.
“Every time we set foot on the field, you’re supposed to win, you’re supposed to compete with the best of the best and that’s kind of our aim this year.
Despite having been sidelined, there is no doubt that players like Caso that lack playing time are some of the toughest hard workers out there.
Caso even spends his time in the off-season trying to master his craft.
“During the off-season (when healthy) I try to limit the amount of throwing because it is an extensive spring and fall,” Caso said. “So my offseason tends to be made for getting stronger, getting bigger, moving weight faster, because being a pitcher is all about rotational power and creating as much as strength and force towards home plate.”
Caso said it’s been working because he recovered from the surgery last year. This is his first full season since he was a sophomore.
He has also been there for his teammates, particularly the bullpen.
“Everyone’s always close when you’re winning, this is my fourth year here and this is easily the most tight-knit group that I’ve had,” Caso said. “You’re always cheering on your starting pitchers.
“If they go out with a shutdown inning in the first, it really sets the tone and puts the pressure on the opposing team to try and answer that or to score runs whenever they can.”
Regardless of which path Caso takes down the journey of life, he will always have baseball in his heart.
“In my future I always want to stay around the sport of baseball,” he said. “I kind of live by this thing where I’ve given my life to this game. I might as well die on the field. So, I want to be a coach one day. I want to stay involved in college baseball as long as I can.
“Hopefully I’ve built up a great relationship with these coaches to which I can become a graduate assistant or a coach on staff one day, and then work my way up to potentially being a head coach one day at Division II or Division I level.”