LOUISIANA La. -- Austin Faught's season-long comeback story contains components that would make most pitchers envious.
Instead of pitching off the mound, the University of Louisiana senior spent all of 2004 undergoing post-surgical therapy.

Several months later, despite his physical and mental doubts following elbow tendon repair, Faught has been a study in perfection.

This year the left-hander is 12-0 and was recently named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year.

Faught, who will probably start ULL's Saturday game in the New Orleans regional, said this season has exceeded his expectations.

"Looking back on the surgery and my record this season, I couldn't have predicted this kind of comeback," Faught said.

About two years ago Faught's pitching career was clouded with doubt.

On May 4, 2003, he pitched his final game of the season at Nebraska, ending the year in pain at 4-3 with a 4.08 earned run average.

It was obvious at that point, according to ULL baseball coach Tony Robichaux, that Faught needed surgery to fix the elbow.

Faught's problem was what those in baseball circles call a Tommy John injury, named after the former major league pitcher who popularized the now routine surgery.

Robichaux said the surgery usually means doctors remove tendons somewhere else in the body such as the wrist and then re-attach that tendon to the elbow.

"Austin's surgery was regular surgery and if all goes well, it will normally lead to a full comeback," Robichaux said. "The question is always in postsurgery. When would Austin be able to make a complete comeback and how successful would that be?"

Faught, who transferred to UL from the University of Houston following the 2002 season, said the rehabilitation was tedious.

"I knew the surgery had to be done, there was no doubt," Faught said. "If I would have listened in the first place to my body, I probably would not have been hurt.

"Nothing is ever guaranteed. I know last year when I was rehabbing, I had some tendonitis. That's when I wasn't sure what was really happening."

If there were any lingering questions about recovery, Faught put those two rest in is his first outing this season against Louisiana Tech on Feb. 12. In that game Faught allowed one run on five hits in six innings.

Eight days later, Faught struck out six in eight innings, earning a win against Northwestern State.

The rest of the comeback story

By BOBBY ARDOIN
Special to The Advocate