It was Ryan Daniel's senior year at Kansas State and nothing was going to take that from him. The right-handed pitcher wanted a repeat of last season's NCAA regional run, and maybe more. Daniel wanted more than anything to help give that to the K-State team.
So he wasn't going to let anything, even the unusual pain he felt in his right shoulder on April 25 take that away from him. It was the first game of a doubleheader against Missouri and suddenly something about his pitching motion wasn't right.
Despite the sudden pain, Daniel pushed through it as much as he could - and kept quiet.
He didn't let anyone, even the coaches and team trainers know that something was wrong.
"My arm just didn't feel like it usually did," Daniel said. "It didn't feel 100 percent, but I tried to throw through it anyways."
To that point in the season, Daniel had emassed a 5-1 record and helped the Wildcats jump out to one of the best starts in school history, even better than last season's unexpected run.
Through the pain, Daniel pushed on.
But by his next start one week later in Norman, Okla., that pain almost cut his senior season short.
Daniel could muster only one inning of work before the pain became too much.
"My shoulder locked up on me and I just couldn't throw anymore," he said.
Immediately, KSU coach Brad Hill and team trainers examined their No. 1 weekend starter.
After evaluating Daniel's shoulder, the injury was diagnosed as a flared rotator cuff, limiting the range of motion in his throwing arm and making it extremely painful to pitch.
It was then that the Fort Collins, Colo. native learned he would be miss 2-4 weeks so to rehabilitate his injured throwing arm.
"I wish I would have been smart enough to say something about it earlier," Daniel said.
After finally getting to the bottom of the pain, Daniel knew he still could contribute to the Wildcats as they entered the second half of Big 12 play, while still locked into a tight race atop the conference standings.
During the next three weeks Daniel spent on the sidelines, he took on a new role with the team. The former Friday night starter quickly transformed into a leader off the field and inside the K-State dugout. During a pivotal series against No. 1-ranked Texas and in-state rival Kansas, he could be seen in the dugout rallying teammates and providing vocal leadership.
Hill described Daniel as one of the biggest cheerleaders in the dugout during both series.
"I just kind of took a part to help out and keep our enthusiasm and spirit up even when I wasn't playing," Daniel said. "I just tried to charge the guys and cheer them on as much as possible. Even though I couldn't help them on the field, I was trying do everything I could off of the field."
And that's exactly what he did.
The Wildcats defeated No.1 Texas on Friday, in what would have been his usual day to start, and K-State snapped the Longhorns' 21-game winning streak.
"I found myself pacing back and forth during those close games," Daniel said. "I was trying to yell behind everyone to get them to yell more. That series was something else."
After spending three weeks in the dugout, resting his right shoulder, Daniel has appeared in two games, a relief appearance against Texas A&M and a start against Oklahoma in the Big 12 tournament. He took the loss against the Sooners, his fourth of the season, after lasting just three innings.
He admitted he was still adjusting to the in-game scenarios after his three-week absence, but the two outings provided him with enough work to feel completely rehabilitated.
"I just kind of lost my release point, but I think I found it at the Big 12 (tournament), which is good."
Daniel can now focus on putting his arm back to good use tonight at 7 when the Wildcats (36-20) play their first round game against Washington State (34-20) in the Fayetteville (Ark.) regional of the NCAA Championships.
Daniel said his arm is feeling healthy again, and the opportunity to be apart of the team again and pitch for the Wildcats is something his is grateful for as third-seeded K-State gets set for just its second regional in the history of the program.
"It would mean so much for me," he said this week. "Especially because it might be my last time to ever pitch. It would definitely mean the world to me to be able to go out there and try to get a win for my team and help them to get to the next level."
Photo- K-State Sports Information
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