Comeback kid

Stephen Baggett hung a changeup over the middle of the plate, and as a result, suffered heavily.

In UAB’s final intersquad scrimmage of the 2015 fall period, Baggett was hit in the face by a line drive screaming off the bat.

“Initially, I didn’t really think anything of it,” the senior pitcher for the Blazers said. “I didn’t think my jaw was broken or anything. I just kind of got up and thought maybe I messed up some teeth.”

He spent the next night in the hospital, with a jaw that was certainly broken. He had surgery the following morning, where doctors inserted a plate to keep his jaw stable, and arch bars on his teeth.

He said, “After it was over, it was not fun. I was eating out of a syringe. Soups and mashed potatoes were my go-to. But it was not fun.”

Not wanting to do anything for three to four weeks and waking up in the middle of the night in excruciating pain made the healing process difficult, but Baggett came out on the other side no worse for the wear.

“We were all thrilled to get him back this spring to see him going again and just so he was healthy again,” UAB head coach Brian Shoop said.

The Homewood High School product took a long road to UAB, playing two years at Shelton State Community College and having a prolonged recruiting process. Shoop thought Baggett would go elsewhere, but finally secured his commitment.

“Growing up in Homewood, you would’ve thought I knew a lot about UAB, but I honestly didn’t know much about it. I honestly don’t know what took me so long but I’m glad I did. It was definitely the best decision I could’ve made, for sure,” Baggett said.

The pitching staff was a strength for the 2015 UAB team, and Baggett only logged nine innings, as he struggled with command of his pitches.

“Last year was a huge disappointment,” he said. “I knew I had to come in and compete and just trust myself. It’s amazing what confidence can do for you.”

In his senior season, Baggett has been an important cog to the staff, pitching a number of mid-week games against high-quality opponents such as Alabama and Ole Miss.

“We knew we needed him this year because we lost 334 innings, and he has spot-started for us,” Shoop said.

His junior season ended with an injury due to a poorly located pitch. Now that he has corrected those control issues, his senior season should end on a high note.

Baggett’s goal is to provide solid innings in those games to keep the pitching staff at full strength for the weekend series. And he’s done just that.

“This year, he’s thrown three [different] pitches for strikes, and he’s been very competitive for us on the mound,” Shoop said.

But, like any other PO (pitcher only), Baggett misses being able to hit. 

“Once I became a PO, I was excited about it. Then you start getting that feel to start to hit again.”

He admits, though, that he would have needed a great deal of work to be a good hitter at the college level.