In 2011, Blaze Tart was looking like the ace that the UNC Wilmington baseball team was looking for. At the time, the sophomore pitcher was heading into his third start of the season with a 2-0 record. During the fifth inning in the second game of the doubleheader against Hofstra, tragedy struck Tart with an elbow injury April 22.

 Tart had Tommy John surgery on May 27. Since then, he has been working nonstop on his rehab assignments and is 12 months into his rehabilitation. “Right now I feel really good,” Tart said. “I’m just getting into the part where I’m throwing to the catcher, but not from the mound yet.” It is expected to take anywhere between 12 and 18 months to fully recover from this surgery.

 Tart remains on a healthy pace to recovery. He said that he is only taking it one day at a time and is feeling good. The main focus for him is to work on his mechanics before being able to throw off the mound again.

 Part of the process of Tommy John surgery is dealing with more long-term problems after the surgery. One main side effect is possible nerve damage or loss of feeling in your fingers or even your arm. Tart is experiencing some problems with not being able to feel parts of his elbow and his pinky.

 “I’m gripping the baseball, sometimes I can’t tell if my pinky is in the right place or not because it’s on the bottom,” Tart said. Doctors explained to him this is normal for most recovering from the major surgery. Even though he is experiencing this, he continues working hard to get back to his original form. He is looking forward to getting back as soon as possible.

That may not be until next year, though.

Instead, Tart remains focused on not rushing the recovery process, despite the real possibility his junior year may be spent in the dugout cheering on the rest of the Seahawks. “We have the potential to be really good,” he said. “It’s just that we have to show up and play.”

UNCW would be grateful to see him on the mound, but the top priority is to make sure his return—whenever that may be—marks the return of an ace.