Despite Tommy John surgery, Caden Kendall answers call as Andrew upsets Providence. ‘Work your way through.’
· Yahoo Sports
Long before his senior season began, Andrew’s Caden Kendall knew it was going to be much different than he had hoped.
Kendall, who has been a key pitcher/infielder on varsity since his sophomore season, was pitching last summer when something felt wrong. The Wisconsin-Whitewater recruit ended up needing Tommy John surgery.
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Realizing he would not be able to pitch this spring for the Thunderbolts, Kendall focused on being ready to contribute in any way he could.
“I just threw one pitch, tweaked something and then I found out I needed the surgery,” Kendall said. “It’s a shocker, for sure, especially when you’re going to play college baseball and all of a sudden you don’t know what’s next.
“But you have to stay positive and work your way through it.”
Although his role has been limited, Kendall has stayed locked in. That paid off Thursday as he came through with a big RBI single to help the host Thunderbolts upset Providence 5-2 in a Class 4A Andrew Regional semifinal game in Tinley Park.
Ben Reilly scattered eight hits and allowed just two earned runs over 6 1/3 innings to earn the pitching win while also producing an RBI double for the Thunderbolts (16-20). Reilly worked out of a bases-loaded jam with one out in the first inning and rolled from there.
“That was huge,” Reilly said. “It got us through the top of the order and out of a big jam. It was really big to get our crowd into it as well.”
Drew Alexander went 2-for-4 with two RBIs for ninth-seeded Andrew, which will host third-seeded Sandburg (20-12) at 11 a.m. Saturday for the regional title. Nolan Kendall — Caden’s twin brother and fellow Wisconsin-Whitewater recruit — finished 2-for-4 with a run.
Heartland recruit Sammy Atkinson and Kankakee Community College commit Landon Ehman each went 2-for-4 with an RBI for sixth-seeded Providence (20-16), which scored both its runs in the seventh inning but could not complete the rally.
Caden Kendall, meanwhile, ripped a single to left field to drive in the second run of the fifth inning as the Thunderbolts upped their lead to 4-0.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” Kendall said. “Not pitching all season and not being able to throw for the first half of the season has been rough, but you think through the positives and when you get in the game you stay there.
“You’ve got to earn your spot. That’s what I did in this game.”
Caden Kendall was often in the role of designated hitter early in the season until his twin brother, Nolan, suffered his own elbow injury.
Talk about twins needing to do everything together.
“He knows I’ve been through it so he knows what it’s like and he knows how much I work every single day with the physical therapy and everything,” Caden Kendall said. “It’s a struggle, but we’ll both get through it.”
Cruelly, Nolan’s injury cut into Caden’s playing time as Nolan moved into the DH role when he could no longer play catcher. Caden was relegated mostly to pinch hitting.
But now Caden has built up enough arm strength to play first base and contribute more with his bat. Andrew coach Dave DeHaan is certainly glad for that.
“I’m happy for Caden and Nolan because they’re both great kids who work extremely hard and love the game of baseball,” DeHaan said. “Obviously, their senior year didn’t work out the way they wanted, but hopefully we can keep playing for a little bit more.”
Thursday was a big first step.
“Providence beat us in sectionals our sophomore year, so this meant a lot,” Caden said. “Putting in a lot of hard work and not playing for a while, it kind of hurts.
“But it’s the playoffs and I came through.”