Texas Tech baseball's Brady Trombello returns to pitch after life-threatening injury
Bryan Simpson choked up a little and paused a moment, recounting when a Fellowship of Christian Athletes chaplain led the Texas Tech baseball team in prayers for Brady Trombello. It was the evening of Feb. 26, 2024, when the Red Raiders' young pitcher was plunged into a life-threatening situation after being struck in the head by a batted ball.
Simpson, Tech baseball's assistant athletic trainer, revealed Tuesday that Trombello suffered a fractured skull, a traumatic brain injury and a brain bleed. On Tuesday, 13 months later, Trombello returned to pitch in a game, starting in the Red Raiders' 10-7 victory against Tarleton State.
"It definitely affected our team," Simpson said. "It affected our coaches, our families, and we're glad that we got to this day."
Trombello's a second-year college righthander who came to Tech from Ridgefield, Washington. He'd made his college debut six days before the injury, throwing four scoreless innings against Texas-Arlington in a start at Globe Life Field. With no midweek game the next week, the Red Raiders were in the midst of an intrasquad scrimmage when a comebacker resulted in every pitcher's worst nightmare.
From his recollection, Simpson said, emergency responders reached Dan Law Field/Rip Griffin Park within 7 minutes. They rushed Trombello by ambulance to University Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery.
"Everything went perfect, for lack of a better way to put it," Simpson said. "Everybody made the right calls to get him into surgery quick and to save his life. ... Those doctors over at UMC saved his life."
Trombello was discharged from the hospital 11 days later and transferred to a rehabilitation facility. On April 6, 2024, Trombello and his parents were recognized on the field before a home game against Houston, receiving an ovation from the crowd.
He got another ovation Tuesday. Trombello's return had been expected after he threw in fall workouts and leading up to the season.
"Getting back to this point, I've done a lot of stuff in practice to get ready for it," he said. "Took a long time just to even throw a ball. We took special care for me and my injury."
When the day finally arrived, Trombello pitched into and out of trouble in the first inning, giving up a double, hitting a batter and walking another. Each time Trombello let a runner on, Trombello struck out the next batter, leaving the bases loaded.
Tech coach Tim Tadlock lifted him after 1⅓ innings, having thrown 21 of his 32 pitches for strikes. He's not a hard thrower — his fastball clocked 87-90 mph — but he got all four outs by strikeout.
His parents were on hand to see it.
"They were really excited for me, really happy and everything," Trombello said. "It was really special for them to be here today."
Tadlock's a 56-year-old baseball lifer. Even so, witnessing Trombello's brush with death, the anxious days and weeks after and then his return to uniform, Tadlock said, "just almost makes you want to break down and cry."
"More than anything," Tadlock said, "just really proud of the individual. I don't think Brady ever had a doubt he'd get back to this day. There were moments, obviously, last spring when there was a bunch of hospital visits, guys going by there and seeing him and checking on him. I know his parents, I'm sure, shed a tear or two today up there."
Tech third baseman Garet Boehm had three hits, starting the rally from a 7-1 deficit with a leadoff homer in the fifth inning. Like Trombello, Boehm was a true freshman last season. The day Trombello got hurt, Boehm was behind him on second base.
"It was real scary," Boehm said. "There was a lot of prayers going on. We came together as a team after, and we just talked about we were going to be behind him no matter what.
"Now it's just like he's kind of reaping the benefit and he'll get his chances and get his shot. We all appreciate how he's worked for our program, and we understand what he went through — it was a hard time — and we're just really proud that he came back."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball's Brady Trombello returns after brain injury
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