In February 2016, Wright State pitcher Ryan Weiss suffered from back pain so acute something had to give.
His back.
“One day I was walking and collapsed in my dorm,” Weiss said. “I thought, ‘Oh, this is not good.'”
Weiss, the former South Elgin ace and a redshirt freshman, is now sending batters back to the dugout in droves.
It’s a bit like “The Six Million Dollar Man” television series starring Lee Majors. After a herniated disc and fracture of the L4-L5 vertebra, Weiss is “better than before” following surgery.
Ben Erickson, Weiss’ pitching coach at South Elgin, noticed the transformation.
“He has actually gained speed,” Erickson said.
By normal baseball standards, Weiss gained a good deal of speed.
Late last month, his fastball was clocked at 93 and 94 mph. Heading into Saturday’s Horizon League doubleheader at Illinois-Chicago, Weiss (6-0) had a team-low 1.60 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings.
When Weiss fired a perfect game for South Elgin against Glenbard East in 2015, a Northern Illinois scout clocked his fastball at 86.
“I remember throwing as fast as 89 in high school once, after about six weeks off from throwing,” Weiss said. “Usually it was 82 to 84.”
Weiss’ route is obviously not the one normally prescribed for increasing speed on a fastball. He traced his back problems to putting on almost 30 pounds.
“I was 6-4, 182 and (Wright State coaches) wanted to see me at about 210 pounds as a freshman,” Weiss said. “The weightlifting, and my motion with high intensity throwing, it all came back on me.”
Weiss said he owes his comeback to chiropractor and athletic trainer Dr. Stuart C. Hui of Elgin.
Weiss spent a month in a back brace and returned home to work with Hui in rehab. Part of the therapy included deep tissue massage and acupuncture.
“He’s like a movement specialist,” Weiss said of Hui. “Ultimately, he got me healthier without surgery, and I’ve completely changed the way I throw.
“Now, I don’t have a ton of pressure on my back when I land or push off. It’s a different motion. I’m using my core and lower body more, turning my body like a slingshot.”
With better health alone, Weiss would have been a success story.
But the comeback went beyond Weiss’ wildest dreams on opening day this season. He came out of the bullpen in his college debut for 2 1/3 shutout innings in a 6-4 victory over No. 10 Clemson.
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Weiss impressed. He was then slated to take the mound Feb. 24 against No. 4 South Carolina.
“I wasn’t sure if it was middle relief or closing, but when they said starting, I just thought, ‘Are you serious?'” Weiss said. “I was going all on adrenaline.”
Weiss pitched well enough in a 4-3 loss to remain in the rotation.
Wright State pitching coach Alex Sogard helped Weiss complement his newfound speed with a more effective slider by moving his finger position on the seam. Weiss also improved his change-up.
Weiss is pitching in Division I because Wright State ended up with a scholarship opening in the late stages of recruiting. Initially he had been set to pitch at Elgin Community College, but signed with Wright State during the summer after graduating from South Elgin.
Now, Weiss has a bright future and Wright State has an ace with three years of eligibility remaining.
“I owe a lot to Stu,” Weiss said.
Hui not only helped Weiss’ baseball career, he provided inspiration.
“I’m majoring in sports science,” Weiss said. “When baseball is over, that’s what I want to do — exactly what he does. I want to make people feel like themselves again.”
Or better than they were.
Twitter @genechamberlai2