By Mike London
mlondon@salisburypost.com
GRANITE QUARRY ó Alex Litaker has a past full of pain and rehab and a future full of hope.
The East Rowan senior owns no varsity pitching stats, but Brevard thinks so much of his right arm it made him a scholarship offer. Litaker recently gave the Tornados a verbal commitment.
“The Brevard coaches came and saw me pitch for the Carolina Sox at Western Carolina in the fall,” Litaker said. “That’s kind of the object of showcase ball, just hoping to get seen by someone, and they happened to see me.”
Litaker visited Brevard in late October and has stayed in touch with head coach Todd Anderson and assistant Matt Mabe.
Anderson and Mabe have work to do as Brevard transitions from an NAIA program to competing in the SAC with established D-II powers such as Catawba, Tusculum and Carson-Newman, but there is optimism in the mountains. Brevard’s record in 2008 was 10-38, but two wins came against Catawba and Wingate.
Brevard coaches couldn’t have heard much about Litaker until they saw him in Cullowhee, but unless you follow AAU ball or Junior Legion, you may not have heard of him either.
As a youngster, Litaker was a standout hitter and hurler for a strong AAU/USSSA team known as the Faith Jaycee Diamondbacks. Later on, he starred for the Rowan County Junior Legion team.
The Junior Legion game he remembers was played at Newman Park on July 18, 2006. He enjoyed his shining moment on the mound, but it was also the night he felt pain in his shoulder.
Rowan faced a decisive Game 5 in the Area III championship series against Southern Alamance. Litaker, Rowan’s relief ace, got the call to start and held Southern Alamance to six singles. He was taken out in the sixth inning with a 9-1 lead and heard the crowd roaring.
The cheers faded over the months that followed.
His shoulder hurt, but baseball was everything and surgery meant months away from Staton Field and friends. His sophomore year was starting at East, and East is not a run-of-the-mill program. He knew he’d be competing against a long line of talented players for a roster spot and playing time.
“I did physical therapy and tried to put off surgery,” Litaker said. “But that whole sophomore year I could barely throw. I played first base for the jayvees, and the day the season ended, I had surgery on my labrum.”
East coach Brian Hightower remembers Litaker’s labrum had three tears.
The summer of 2007 was a wash, and Litaker spent the fall and winter working toward mound duty for the Mustangs his junior season.
“He didn’t let anything set him back, just kept working and never missed a workout or anything that we did,” Hightower said.
East could have used him the day the 2008 season opened, with Corbin Shive and Trey Holmes also involved in comebacks.
But Litaker’s shoulder came around slowly. The mental part was even tougher than the physical. He saw the strides healthy teammates were making. While he was standing still, some caught up. Others left him behind.
“I thought I’d be throwing a lot as a junior, but all I could do was toss when the season started,” Litaker said. “I never gave up hope, but it did get slim. When you’re throwing the ball 20 feet and it’s killing you, hope gets slim.”
Litaker got occasional swings as a pinch hitter. He progressed as a pitcher, but it was inches at a time. Sixty feet, 6 inches may as well have been a mile.
“Finally, the last couple weeks I was throwing fully with no pain,” he said.
Litaker pitched against Northwest Cabarrus in a jayvee game, with the 2008 regular season winding down. Balls and strikes weren’t as important as how he felt during and after.
Litaker had a hard time believing it, but he felt fine.
He returned to the Hightower-coached Junior Legion team last summer ó two years removed from his fine performance against Southern Alamance. He rebuilt arm strength and his hot bat and clutch pitching helped Rowan County qualify for the state tournament.
He’s stayed healthy his senior year and was throwing 82-83 mph and mixing in a slider and changeup when Brevard saw him.
“I sure don’t want to jinx myself, but they’re telling me everything is healed,” Litaker said. “I’m close, but in my mind, I still think I’m throwing only 90-95 percent. I know I can do better.”
Hightower is counting on Litaker for quality innings in 2009, and Litaker is eager to climb back on the radar.
He’s missed out on publicity and high-fives, but he figures adversity made him a better student and person. He takes honors courses and owns a GPA above 4.0.
“My parents always stressed academics first, and when I got hurt I knew I couldn’t put all my eggs in the baseball basket and concentrated hard on my studies as a backup plan,” Litaker said. “And I know it sounds crazy, but I’m glad things happened the way they did. I’ve got a drive now and a work ethic that I never would have had if I hadn’t been injured. I’ve learned lessons. You could say it was a blessing in disguise.”
Hightower is happy to have Litaker’s arm and thrilled Brevard spotted him. A guy who needed a break finally got one.
“Alex was throwing 80-81 as a freshman and I was looking for high things from him, but then he got hurt,” Hightower said. “Since he hasn’t pitched, I figured we’d have to sell a school on him, that maybe we could get him a shot as a walk-on somewhere. But Brevard coming in ó it’s just great. He’s a million-dollar kid, he’s busted his hump, and he deserves a chance.”