Pacers' Stutts makes progress on mound after overcoming unexpected obstacle

SPECIAL GUEST: USC Aiken senior pitcher Christian Stutts, center, makes an appearance on “Carolina Outdoors Presents: On the Sports Front,” with Cam Huffman, left, and USCA head coach Kenny Thomas. Staff photo.

Labeling the collegiate baseball career of USC Aiken right-hander Christian Stutts as a little unconventional would be like labeling the 2012 Grammy's as a mild success for Adele. From the time that Stutts ended his high school career at South Aiken High School until now, his senior season with the Pacers, things have simply been wildly different for the 6-foot senior.

It started right away, when Pacer head coach Kenny Thomas decided that the best move was to take the successful high school catcher from behind the plate and put him on the mound.

"It's not that we didn't think he could be a catcher," said Thomas. "We just thought his arm was his strength."

Stutts spent the 2008 season as a redshirt, learning to become a college pitcher, and he took the hill full-time in 2009, recording a win in 10 appearances, striking out seven batters in the process. His sophomore season in 2010 saw him step his game up a notch, and he finished 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in 21 appearances.

Heading into the 2011 season, Stutts was prepared to become a key member of the Pacer bullpen, and he started the season well, throwing hard in his two appearances during the first two weekend series of the year. On the Monday following the second weekend, though, something strange happened.

"It was such a weird thing," said Thomas. "Stuttsy was pitching well, and then all the sudden, his arm turned a different color. I didn't know. I thought he might have been in the sun bed or something."

Stutts didn't know what to think, either - although he knew it wasn't a result of working on his tan - but he eventually discovered that a blood clot had broken loose and moved to his shoulder. He was ruled out for the season and told he may never pitch again.

"It was a tough blow for our team, but it was even tougher for Stutts," said Thomas. "I never will forget telling him that night, 'Look, you've won this battle. They found this blood clot in plenty of time.'"

Stutts understood just how fortunate he had been, but he also knew he wanted to get back on the baseball field.

"Coach (Thomas) was there one night in the hospital when they told me I might never pitch again," Stutts remembered. "I kind of sat around and said, 'I used to catch. If I can't pitch, maybe we can work something out.' He wasn't even worried about that. He was worried about my health."

USCA played the rest of the 2011 season without Stutts in the lineup, and it went through the summer not knowing when, of if, it would get him back. In June, though, Stutts was cleared to throw again, but that was only half the battle after a nearly five-month layoff.

"It was rough," Stutts admitted. "I didn't get cleared until the middle of June, and then I had a couple months to try to learn how to throw again to be ready for the fall. Our pitching coach, Coach (Michael) Holder, didn't try to rush me. He said, 'Let's just take our time and get you ready.'"

Thomas said his senior hurler went through a stretch in the fall where he struggled to find his velocity, but he continued to work and he started the 2012 campaign as one of the key figures in the Pacer bullpen.

"He's a short guy - the seventh, eighth or ninth inning," said Thomas. "We have four or five short guys, guys that can throw every day, out of the bullpen. Christian is a guy we could send for two innings if we needed to, but he's mainly just a one-inning guy. It's worked out really good, and I think he's going to have a great year for us."

Through the first six games of the 2012 season, Stutts has appeared in two contests, pitching 1 1/3 innings and allowing two hits and a pair of unearned runs. It was a solid start, but he hopes it was just the start of things to come.

"My goal for this season is to do what I can for this team," he said. "Really, I expect to play a big roll out of the back of that bullpen. We want to win the Peach Belt, win the regional and go to the World Series and win it."

But as Thomas told Stutts in the hospital last February, the battle has already been won.