Even a major injury couldn’t bring down Patrick Steitz’s expectations.
It might be because Patrick has become accustomed to facing and overcoming setbacks in his athletic career.
The right-handed pitcher was on the state high school champion team in Peoria, Arizona, in 2021. Despite being a top 10 prospect in the state, the COVID-19 pandemic led Patrick to Central Arizona College where he contributed to that team winning the 2022 National Junior College Athletic Association championship.
After 2 years, he transferred to the University of Kansas with high expectations of making a mark in Division 1 and trying to head to the major leagues. But as the season got started, Patrick started to notice unusual pain.
After pitching in several games for the Jayhawks, Patrick noticed significant discomfort in his elbow. He wanted to write it off as a muscle strain, but when rest and rehab weren’t successful at getting back to full pitching, he got an MRI. It was an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injury – also known as a Tommy John injury.
With the diagnosis, Patrick says, “You realize you’re done for a certain amount of time and there’s nothing you can do about it.” So, he took a medical redshirt designation and headed to The University of Kansas Health System to meet with Vincent Key, MD.
Dr. Key is an orthopedic surgeon at the health system and the head team physician for the Kansas City Royals.
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