Toughness Marks McElman's Play
By Marvin Pave - Globe West Notebook
June 10, 2010
Worcester State College head baseball coach Dirk Baker, whose team won the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference tournament and advanced to the NCAA Division 3 championships, describes sophomore third baseman Tyler McElman of Marlborough as having an incredible season.
It wasn’t an overstatement.
McElman, who batted .311 with seven homers and 41 runs batted in, played with occasional pain in both wrists (he broke them playing football his senior year at Marlborough High), and suffered a a broken jaw in a collision at the plate with the Bridgewater State catcher, but never missed a game.
McElman, a linebacker and fullback on the Marlborough football team, wanted to play so badly in the Thanksgiving Day game against Hudson his senior year that he had his carpenter dad, Douglas, trim the cast on his right wrist to improve its mobility.
“I was a captain on the defensive side of the ball and it was an emotional time. I was sitting downstairs in my living room until 12:30 in the morning of the game and my dad came downstairs with kind of a grin and said, ‘Let’s go,’ so he cut about ten inches off the cast,’’ said McElman. “I got the OK to play and it was an incredible feeling.’’
McElman recorded 13 tackles to help defeat Hudson and was honored as defensive player of the game. He was also named defensive MVP for the 2007 season.
While pitching right-handed the following spring for the baseball team, McElman was wearing a cast on his left wrist, which he had found out was also broken after the football season. McElman altered his glove so that the cast would fit inside it.
“I had a few starts and won a couple of games, and I felt as a senior captain it was important for me to contribute because I couldn’t play the infield or bat,’’ he added. “It was pretty hard on me, because I was really into lifting, but I was limited to forearm and leg exercises for the most part. I wondered if I’d every play baseball again or if the colleges would continue to be interested in me.’’
McElman got an opportunity as a freshman at American International College in Springfield, but his right wrist began to pain him that fall, and he opted for another surgery. “It never healed fully. I had a second operation on that wrist, but I was back at third base in the spring for AIC,’’ he said.
McElman, who has titanium pins in both wrists, batted just .205 with four homers a year ago while playing for AIC in the wood-bat Northeast-10 Conference, but felt he was on the comeback trail.
He then transferred to Worcester State College to be closer to his family.
After his home-plate collision this season, McElman didn’t know for the next two weeks that he was playing with a broken jaw.
“It hurt mainly around my ear, but obviously I’d been used to pain and I didn’t make a big fuss about it’’ said McElman.
Nevertheless, X-rays were taken before the squad left for Eastern Connecticut State University and the the NCAA Division 3 Regionals, and his jaw was snapped back into place in time for practice the same day.
McElman had a pair of hits in two tournament games and was a standout in the field as Worcester State finished at 31-11-1.
“I learned to never give up on my dream,’’ he said, “and my parents were with me every step of the way. They motivated and inspired me.’’