Injured PCA pitcher makes inspiring recovery, helps Eagles reach Sweet 16

Like his teammates, Plymouth Christian Academy’s Calvin Nielson is focused on the immediate future — the last few weeks of the high school baseball season.

The Eagles won their Division 4 district championship in dominant fashion Saturday, downing Frankel Jewish Academy and Whitmore Lake, 15-0 and 12-0, with both games going less than seven innings due to the MHSAA mercy rule.

While PCA has state title aspirations, Nielson is thrilled just to be part of the team in 2025.

In August of 2024, his only thought was to be able to play again.

Like many young pitchers, Nielson was dealing with arm issues. But the initial injury didn’t occur on the mound, but near the water.

Red flags arose when skipping rocks

“The moment I first noticed the injury was in August (2024), when I was skipping rocks funny enough, and I felt my elbow pop and go numb,” Nielson recounted.  “My fingers started to tingle, and I knew right away that there could be a problem.”

Nielson wanted to continue to play, but the possibility of surgery, rehab and even the end of his pitching career seemed overwhelming.

Instead of getting ahead of himself, Nielson got the injury checked out so he could get ahead of what might need to happen.

“We went to my pediatrician first and got an X-ray to see if it was a bone thing,” Nielson explained. “There was no sign of fracture or a bone issue, so we set up an MRI. We had to wait three months because there was such a large demand for the test.

“I started physical training early, thinking there were no tears. Then it was time for the MRI (January 2025), and we found out there was a tear (in the ulnar collateral ligament), and when I heard that, I thought I was done playing baseball.”

UCL injuries are pitchers’ worst fear

The UCL is a strong band of tissue on the inner side of the elbow that keeps the elbow joint stable during the throwing motion or overhead arm movements.

When “Tommy John” surgery is required, a tendon is used to replace the UCL.

Nielson was presented with two options.

“I wanted to just get Tommy John (surgery) because even though it would take longer, I felt more comfortable knowing that there would be a 100% fix,” he explained.

“The other option  was something called PRP (Platelet-rich Plasma therapy) and the reason I didn’t want to get it was because there was a 50-50 chance that it would work, but the bright side was I could be back sooner with it. So we went with PRP and at first I was really scared that it wouldn’t work.”

Innovative treatment

PRP involves injecting concentrated platelets from the patient’s own blood into the injured ligament to stimulate healing and potentially allow for a quicker return to activity, in this case, baseball.

The drawback: If the tear is severe or “complete”, it may not respond to the treatment.

Calvin was apprehensive.

“I had many doubts about it (the treatment) and knowing this would only work short term scared me,” he admitted. “But I got the injection and had a four-week period where I couldn’t do anything with my right arm. I couldn’t even lift something as heavy as a shampoo bottle.

“But after four weeks, I got an ultrasound on my elbow, and it showed no tear. So, I felt better about my decision.”

Relentless rehab

Now that the treatment had worked and surgery wasn’t necessary, the arduous task of rehab began. With the goal of returning to the mound possible, Nielson chose the rehab facility.

“In January (2025), I started working at Team Rehab (in Canton),” Nielson said. “Honestly, they’re the best. They were encouraging and really helped me through the whole rehab process. I needed that because the rehab was so time-consuming. Matteo was great — he really helped me get back.

“The rehab sessions were typically two to three times a week. To be honest, when I first started it felt like such a waste of time; all I wanted to do was pitch. But, as it went on, I accepted it and knew that going to the sessions and putting in the work would pay off.

“When I was about halfway through my visits, the high school season started (mid-March) and the end goal seemed forever away. That’s when the mental game set in, but I knew through all this, I was going to be able to rejoin the team.”

Urge to rush recovery

With baseball practices ongoing, the urge to rush the process was strong. His teammates and classmates were talking about the season and the championship possibilities. Calvin felt an internal pressure to get back.

“I wanted to skip the last rehabs and just go 100% all the time, but I knew I couldn’t,” he shared. “There were times where I would lift on my own when I wasn’t supposed to, and would stop myself out of fear of hurting it again.”

Even with a clean bill of health and permission to resume activity, Calvin had a fear of “letting go.”

“Yeah, when I first got the OK to throw and start lifting on my own again, I was apprehensive,” he said. “Not sure if I would trust it if I was fully healed quite yet.

“And the first couple of appearances were super scary — not in the sense of ‘what if I got hit hard’, but what if my injury (recovery) wasn’t ready yet.

Adrenaline kicks in

“But the stronger feeling — over the fear — was excitement and the adrenaline kicked in. I let that fear run its course and I’ve done well so far. Now, in my recovery, it’s been almost a full year since the injury, and I’m just now getting back to throwing 100%.

“The focus right now, not just for me, but for the team, is to get to East Lansing.”

With Nielson and the rest of the pitching staff at full strength, the No. 4-ranked Eagles are off to a good start. PCA’s next game is June 4 against Allen Park Cabrini at 4:30 p.m. The game will be played at Riverview Gabriel Richard.

Thank you to Michael Costello for contributing this article to SocialHouseNews.com.