Somehow, senior Marshal Kiessling knew this moment would come. The hard part was convincing the rest of the Lower Dauphin baseball community, veteran skipper Ken Kulina included.
For the first time since Lower Dauphin claimed the first available District 3-AAAA title in 2005, Kulina's preseason cupboard was hardly overflowing with proven pitchers.
Kiessling had enjoyed a rather stout junior campaign, his ERA hovering just under 1.00, but that was before the Falcons righty faced some serious questions about his future in the sport.
No athlete welcomes the words “torn labrum.” For pitchers, well, that diagnosis can be catastrophic.
“Honestly, we didn't know what the mound looked like. We didn't know who was going to be those guys,” Kulina said.
“With Marshal being injured, he was one of those guys that we were counting on. It took him half the year, but he was patient with it. He's a bulldog. He was the right guy out there tonight.”
Kiessling had no problems chatting about his latest masterpiece, a dynamic two-hitter that hoisted the fifth-seeded Falcons (19-5-1) to a 1-0 District 3-AAAA championship win over Exeter at Sovereign Bank Stadium.
Kiessling struck out nine and walked none. Even more impressive, not one of five Exeter base runners reached third during his 85-pitch performance.
“It meant the world to me. I never experienced something like this. I wanted to shut it down and get it for the squad and the coaches,” said Kiessling. “I wanted to get it, no matter what.”
After that successful junior season, Kiessling worked through a rather tattered American Legion season, believing those painful days of recovery simply came with the territory. Not quite.
The righty had already partially dislocated his throwing shoulder during the scholastic season before a MRI in the summer revealed a serious tear in his labrum. There was blunt news from the doctors, too.
There was a 50/50 chance that surgery would offer Kiessling a chance to fully recover. Going under the knife in mid-September, Kiessling began long hours of rehab.
Naturally, the recruiting end suffered, even though Kiessling traveled to showcase events up and down the East Coast to display his ability behind the plate. Interest was high but offers were few.
“It took a while. A lot of kids were signing in the fall. I knew the right team would come along and it was Mansfield. I signed in the spring. I can't wait to play there but I want to finish business here.”
Despite the danger, Kiessling worked hard enough to get ready for hockey season, mixing in throwing sessions covering 10-feet at first, then 20-feet, etc.
PHOTO GALLERY: LOWER DAUPHIN WINS D3-AAAA TITLE
Finally strong enough to join Kulina's slim rotation that featured sophomore Blair Lewis, Kiessling got his first start in mid-April during a non-conference game with Governor Mifflin. The result was good, for LD and its “new” starting pitcher.
“We knew he would come back we just didn't have that timetable. Halfway through the year there were some tears and there was some wonder on his part,” said Kulina.
“To get him back to this point is just and outstanding thing for him. He just didn't know if he could get out there to 60-feet, 6-inches and compete the way he wanted to.”
That wasn't a problem on Thursday as Kiessling fired 85 well-placed pitches. “In the beginning of the year his arm wasn't as strong,” said Lower Dauphin catcher Deon Stafford.
“It's unbelievable how he just came back and he ended up being one of our aces. Tonight, whatever spot I wanted, he hit it. It was awesome.”
Epler on Twitter: @threejacker