All of you pitchers out there PLEASE BE CAREFUL this upcoming season.
LOCAL SPORTS
ECCC pitcher injured in scrimmage
By Robbie Robertson / EMG sports writer
Jan. 30, 2004
DECATUR — East Central Community College pitcher John Fortenberry always thought he had what it took to be a major leaguer.
At 6-foot-4, 227 pounds, he had the frame. Now the Carthage native hopes to live a normal life.
During an intra-squad scrimmage last Friday, Fortenberry was hit in the face by a line drive, crushing the right side of his face.
“It was something he couldn’t have reacted to,” said ECCC coach Jake Yarbrough. “It was so quick and so unfortunate. Our guys immediately went over to the side and said a prayer. Luckily his parents were there to give the paramedics information.”
His parents, Dawn and Cookie, accompanied Fortenberry to Laird Hospital were the cuts on his face were stitched up. He was then transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson where he underwent a five-hour surgery.
Yarbrough said after the practice, most of the team loaded on a bus and went to Jackson to check on their fallen teammate.
“(The doctors) said he was very fortunate to be alive and this was the worst eye injury they had ever seen,” said Dawn. “They told us the eye socket had been crushed and they would try to save the eye. On Saturday, they checked the eye and told us it was lost.”
Fortenberry’s mother said her son is scheduled for another surgery on Thursday where doctors will attempt to reconstruct the right side of his face and the orbital area with titanium plating.
“You could just see it in his face when the doctors came in and told him that he was going to lose his eye,” Dawn said. “”He had every intention of going all the way (to the major leagues). Only God knows what the plan may be for him now. We do thank everyone for the support and love that they are showing.”
Yarbrough said Fortenberry was one of his top incoming freshmen. As a high school pitcher at Carthage, Fortenberry was a Mississippi Association of Coaches All-Star and participated in the State Games of Mississippi.
“It is devastating to our whole baseball team,” Yarbrough said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to John’s family. We hope for a quick recovery. John was a very athletic young man and one of our top freshmen. We will miss him but the most important thing is how he is doing.”
“He was probably one of the best kids that’s come through here,” said Waid Prather, editor of the Carthaginian. “Not only was he a great baseball player, he was a good kid. He was a yes sir, no sir, kind of kid. He was a real talented kid and managed to keep his feet on the ground.”
Fortenberry’s mother said she doesn’t know how she will go about it but hopes that the accident will prompt some discussion over using aluminum bats in college and perhaps some kind of protection for pitchers.
“I don’t know what we will do but I don’t want this to happen to anybody else,” Dawn said. “Chances are if it had been a wood bat, they might have had a chance. He even said as a player, he wished they would change to wooden bats.”
"If you don't know where your going, any road will take you there".
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