The phrase “trials and tribulations” couldn’t be more true for LSU baseball’s sophomore pitcher Russell Reynolds.
The Baton Rouge native has faced a long and winding road during his career with the Tigers, spanning back to 2013 when he joined the team as a freshman.
The Parkview Baptist High School alumnus stepped onto LSU’s campus with plenty of hype and poise. He earned Under Armour All-American and first-team All-State honors as a pitcher and outfielder in 2012, posting an 8-2 mark with 44 innings pitched, 88 strikeouts and a 1.90 ERA. Reynolds also batted .370 with two homers and 30 RBIs that season.
Reynolds hit the ground running, appearing in seven games and four starts his freshman season. He posted a 1-0 mark and a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings with three walks and eight strikeouts, including a win on March 26, 2013, at Tulane, where he allowed one unearned run on four hits in seven innings.
But then came trial number one.
Reynolds was shut down for the season after suffering a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder in early April 2013. Reynolds’ hot start halted after seven games in, with the doctors setting his timetable to return at close to a year.
“At first, it was a struggle,” Reynolds said. “You really don’t know how long 22 months is until you’re out for 22 months. The help of our training staff helped me out a lot, but you kind of just have to push yourself. Everybody faces adversity. It’s just how you can overcome it.”
Reynolds took his injury in stride by working with pitching coach Alan Dunn to learn from his seven games and perfect his mentality and work ethic so he could be ready when his time came.
Reynolds said he learned a lot from Dunn about the traits and tendencies of being a pitcher and evolving as the game grows.
“The one-on-one help with [pitching coach Alan Dunn] and just sitting back watching pitching and then just listening to him and getting his insight on things that’ll help you out tremendously upstairs,” Reynolds said. “You don’t really realize how much of pitching is mental until you get to pitching out here, and then you realize you got to have a head on your shoulders to pitch.”
While learning, Reynolds also became a mentor. The injury opened his eyes to the highs and lows of sports, and he began accepting injuries for what they were. Reynolds chose to grow from his setbacks instead of letting them get the best of him.
Sophomore pitcher Collin Strall said Reynolds’ attitude is contagious in the clubhouse.
“A lot of our freshmen and younger guys go to him to talk about stuff like arm problems or if something’s bothering them, what they should do and stuff,” Strall said. “He has been around the game. He has been here for three years now, he has since injuries, and he’s a great mentor to a lot of younger guys.
“He knows a lot about this program and it has really helped a lot of guys getting arm surgeries, and even [freshman outfielder] Beau [Jordan] can go talk to him. He’s a really big mentor on our team, and I love having him in the locker room. He’s one of my favorite players on the team.”
Unfortunately, Reynolds’ trials weren’t over yet.
Reynolds was set to return for fall practice leading up to the 2015 season, but he suffered an elbow injury after falling off the back of a pickup truck while tailgating at an LSU football game. He was forced to sit out the entirety of fall practice, pushing back a return even further.
“That was bad because I was really excited for the fall,” Reynolds said. “I needed the fall to regroup and get everything back together. After that incident happened, it kind of set me back again, but now I’m back on my feet and trying to get things going again.”
The 6-foot-2, 187-pounder wouldn’t let this injury stop him either. Reynolds’ work ethic and leadership have been praised by many of his teammates throughout his times in and out of the game.
Strall said Reynolds’ leadership abilities made it inevitable he would eventually come back strong.
“When we get in the weight room, he gets after it for sure,” Strall said. “We’re out here long tossing and stuff, and even when coach Dunn isn’t here, he’ll be one of the pitchers leading us. He is probably one of the hardest workers on this team for sure.”
Senior catcher Kade Scivicque noticed Reynolds’ fire and hunger to return to the mound. Scivicque said when catching him, he could tell Reynolds was always giving his all for a chance to compete.
“I have seen him improve with his velocity and his command. Just coming out here with his work ethic is just unbelievable,” Scivicque said. “He just gets after it. It’s great [catching him]. He feels up the zone. He throws a lot of strikes. He throws with good velocity, and he is just going to pound the zone and compete.”
Reynolds battled back from his hardships and is still a candidate for the Tigers’ rotation as their next number four guy. He got his first start of the season on March 17 against Southern, throwing a strong four innings in the Tigers’ 4-2, extra innings win. Reynolds allowed only three hits and retired the first six batters he faced.
His long and troubling rise back to relevancy has been one of unlucky twist and turns, but Reynolds said he feels great and hopes he is here to stay.
“My arm feels great,” Reynolds said. “It feels good to go back out there for multiple innings and show them what I have again, and I’m happy I’m getting the opportunity to go back out there and do it again.”
You can reach Jack Chascin on Twitter @Chascin_TDR.