SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. – From two-out uprisings to late-inning comebacks, baseball naturally produces plenty of dramatic opportunities to recover from early setbacks.
Jacob Toney’s recovery from shattering the knuckle in his left (throwing) hand is only the latest in a list of obstacles the South Pittsburg junior has overcome to return to the form that made him the state’s top-rated prospect, according to several scouting services.
Toney returned to the mound Monday after missing more than four weeks with the hand injury, and he looked sharp in two innings against Central. He is expected to rejoin the rotation for the District 6-A tournament, which begins today when the top-seeded Pirates (28-2, 10-0) host Van Buren County.
Toney also missed part of last year’s baseball season and all of the basketball season while recovering from three knee surgeries, but the one scar that never will heal also is his biggest inspiration. His father, Tommy, died when 12-year-old Jacob was out of town in a youth-league tournament. The two were so close that for nearly six months after his father’s death, Jacob suffered from stress-induced seizures.
“That was terrifying, to be honest, because I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” Toney said. “A neurologist ran all kinds of tests and they finally determined that it was just my reaction to my dad dying. I took medication, and after a few months the seizures stopped.