By NICK BAUMGARDNER, The Daily News
An average half-inning of baseball might only last a handful of minutes.
But on May 24 in Surprise, Ariz., the half-inning that Matt Ridings spent on a baseball mound may as well have lasted 12 months.
"I don't think anyone else there cared much about it," Ridings said with a laugh. "But to me, it was an awful big deal to get back out there."
Ridings, the former Western Kentucky star and co-Sun Belt Conference career wins leader, made it back to where he belongs last month, overcoming a year's worth of elbow rehab to make his first live appearance as a professional baseball player.
In what was his last college start at WKU on May 20, 2010, Ridings was on the verge of recording his 35th career collegiate victory, a win that would have made him the Sun Belt's undisputed wins king.
But it wasn't meant to be - Ridings suffered a tear to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during the fifth inning that night. The injury ended his college career, and required an oft-dreaded Tommy John procedure to repair and put his professional career in jeopardy as the Major League Baseball Draft was looming in a matter of days.
The first step to recovery for Ridings was delivered by the Kansas City Royals, who took a flyer on the injured standout in the 41st round of the draft.
The rest of that journey, though, was all up to Ridings.
"The hardest part was the mental part of it all," Ridings said of the 12 months of rehab that followed the injury. "The work itself wasn't that hard - a lot of shoulder and elbow stuff with building back strength - but just being around baseball all the time, watching baseball and not being able to play, that's the hardest thing of it all.
"The mental part can eat you alive if you let it."
Ridings went through his lengthy rehab in Arizona, at the site of the Royals' rookie league club in the Arizona League.
But anything to do with a glove or a baseball was something that had to wait.
Ridings went through the process of getting the strength back in his elbow throughout the summer and well into the fall - he didn't throw a single pitch until Oct. 20.
From there, Ridings wasn't allowed to throw a ball beyond 60 feet until the following spring. On March 17, Ridings was allowed to participate in his first bullpen session since the injury - a process he'd repeat 18 times before he was finally allowed to throw a live batting practice session with a hitter and a catcher.
And after four more dry runs of that scenario, Ridings finally got the call to step back onto the sanctuary he's come to love for much of his adult life - a live-action pitching mound.
Some 369 days after blowing out his elbow and watching his baseball dreams flash before his eyes, the greatest pitcher in WKU history finally felt home again.
"It was kind of like riding a bike: once that first pitch was over, you remember you've been throwing your whole life," he said. "The first time I saw a hitter in the box, I just got more excited than anything, because all that work was paying off.
"I didn't even care about how I did that first time, it was just getting out there and doing it. But now, it's exciting because I can get back to work and start getting better."
Ridings has had five more live outings since that time in Royals extended spring training, including a five-inning session Saturday.
It's been a process that's tested him to his core, but with the support of fellow injured teammates who rehabbed with him, his fianc/ (who was in Arizona the day he headed back to the mound) and his parents (who flew in just days after to watch their son throw again), the biggest roadblock for Ridings has finally been cleared.
"When most people get drafted, the anticipation is leading up to that first outing," he said. "And when guys get hurt, the anticipation builds to that first outing after injury. I knocked both of those out at once.
"I didn't know which one of those first I was more proud of."
Ridings said that by the end of the week he'll likely know what his next destination will be within the Royals organization. He could head to rookie league teams in Idaho Falls, Idaho; Burlington, N.C., or stay in Surprise with the Royals' rookie league squad there. There's also a chance he could continue a stay in extended spring training to continue strengthening his arm.
Regardless of where he heads next, Ridings says the biggest obstacle has been cleared. Now, he can just focus on showing the club why they drafted him in the first place.
"The whole thing's made me stronger mentally," he said. "Because this really tests you. It can get at you pretty bad if you let it, but for me, as long as I'm pitching in a game, I don't care where I'm at.
"If I do good, I'll move up. I'm ready to finally get out there and show them what I've got."
