Super Bowl Update

Troy pitcher Drew Hull had gotten good news earlier this fall when he was approved for a fifth year by the NCAA. He was off to a stellar start during his senior year as he was 4-0 with a 2.07 ERA as Troy's Saturday starter.

But he left the game against FIU early with some elbow pain, and it turned out to be a torn UCL ligament, calling for the dreaded Tommy John surgery. But because he had only played in 7 games, he got to call last year a redshirt.

The elbow had healed enough for him to get back to work recently, but on his first day back, he felt another pop. Hull (above, Troy Univ. photo) said the ligament still felt attached, but they did an MRI, and it was torn in a weird way - right in the very center of the ligament. Obviously, he won't be pitching in 2012.

"Dr. Dugas told me that he personally had never seen anything like this nor did he know how to explain what happened," Hull said. "So that being said, I saw that as a sign from God that maybe right now wasn't the right time for me to continue my baseball career."

Hull said it was unlikely he would apply for a sixth year, but not out of the question. He said the best bet might be to have surgery again, rehab at his own pace, and if he gets healthy again, try out for a pro team down the road.

"But this was just a freak accident and the only thing to do is try and stay positive," Hull said. "The way I look at it is that it would be selfish of me to feel sorry for myself after the career I've had already. I've been blessed so much already if I never throw another pitch."

**A thanks to a dedicated reader who saw my post below recapping Troy in 2011 and tipped me off to Hull's twitter posts about re-tearing his UCL. I linked a story I had written on Hull and mentioned that he had gotten his fifth year back.