Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The last pitch Garrett Milchin threw in a game was a ball to Texas Christian outfielder Austen Wade, who by summer's end was playing for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the New York-Penn League.

Standing alone and without context, that sentence doesn't say much about Milchin. But if you assemble the details scattered by the hands of time, Milchin's story over the past two-plus years originates from that at-bat.

Date: June 23, 2017.

Place: College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

Attendance: 25,329.

Inning: Top of sixth.

Score: TCU 4, Florida 2.

Milchin: 1/3 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 15 pitches.

The most important moment that night for Milchin, at the time a promising freshman right-hander for the Gators, happened as soon as he released ball two to Wade. As soon as catcher Mike Rivera caught the pitch, Milchin stepped off the mound and walked to the dugout, replaced by reliever Frank Rubio.

Confusion set in momentarily for everyone but Milchin.

"I knew whatever it was wasn't good and there was no point in me trying to stick it out,'' Milchin said. "Plus, we had guys on base."
 
Milchin's season was over, but he remained with the Gators in Omaha as they recovered from what ended as a 9-2 loss to TCU to win their final three games of the CWS and capture the program's first national title. The experience is one that continues to motivate him.

However, when Milchin returned to Florida, he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair ligament damage in his right arm, knowing the road ahead would not be fun or easy.

Thirty-one months and two Tommy John surgeries later, Milchin rested on the back of a dugout bench at McKethan Stadium late last week sharing his journey with a group of reporters. Some had forgotten he was still with the Gators.

They got a reminder when the UF baseball team made an appearance recently at the Florida-Baylor men's basketball game to promote its Feb. 14 season opener. Milchin was the player who took the mic to pump up the crowd.

That was fine with the other players.

"He's probably the best teammate we have on this team,'' sophomore center fielder Jud Fabian said. "He's really put in the work to try and be able to pitch this year, which would be an unbelievable story."

Yes, it would.

"I've never heard him complain once about not being able to play and he's had it worse than most people have,'' said fellow right-hander Jack Leftwich. "We kind of feed off that. That's kind of inspirational for most of us."

Milchin grew up in the Orlando area and played three seasons at West Orange High prior to transferring to The First Academy for his senior season. A two-way player, Milchin starred on the mound and at third base in high school. As a freshman at Florida, he was used primarily as a pitcher, making two starts and 17 appearances out of the bullpen. He went 4-2 with a 3.29 ERA over 27 1/3 innings, limiting opponents to a .214 average and earning enough trust from head coach Kevin O'Sullivan to send him to the mound in the CWS.

Milchin figured into the Gators' future plans until he felt something wrong on the mound in Omaha. With his baseball career on hold, Milchin focused on earning his degree and getting a second chance. He had his first surgery in July 2017 and after missing the 2018 season, hoped to pitch in 2019 until another setback and surgery.

While there is no timetable for his return in 2020, the 6-foot-5 Milchin serves as a towering reminder of how fickle the game can be and hopes the pitch to Wade wasn't his last.

"It's not fun, it's not easy. It's been tough, just pretty much living in the training room,'' he said. "It's not what you hope for when you come to a program like this, but you've got to make the best of the hand you're dealt."

Former Gators right-hander Jeff Cardozo, who serves as the team's radio play-by-play announcer and was working as the analyst alongside Mick Hubert three years ago in Omaha when Milchin walked off the mound, understands Milchin's reasons for continuing to play when others might have called it a career.

Cardozo battled a rotator cuff injury his junior season in 2000, throwing only on days he pitched. His final outing of the season was a complete-game victory at Baylor in the NCAA Regionals. Cardozo threw 138 pitches in a 10-1 win to keep Florida's season alive against a lineup that included future big-league catcher Kelly Shoppach.

After the season, he underwent surgery. Cardozo tried to pitch as a senior but never regained his form and had to have reconstructive shoulder surgery.

His career was over.

"Seeing him walk off like that, the mentality is that you don't want to ever end it that way,'' Cardozo said. "It's a game you've been playing since you were 5 years old and you're going to do whatever is possible to go as long as you can. It looked like he was going to contribute to this team quite a bit."
 
Milchin flashed a nasty slider and a fastball in the low to mid-90s prior to his injury. Whether or not he can duplicate his previous success depends on how he recovers from his second surgery.

As his teammates prepare for the final season at McKethan Stadium, Milchin is on a throwing program to get back on the mound. He said he feels good physically and that his arm is strong. If there is a positive from the injuries, Milchin said it's that he understands his body much better and what he can and can't do on certain days.

Meanwhile, Milchin earned an economics degree in December and as a fourth-year junior, said his main goal is to serve as a positive influence around the team and help provide veteran leadership.

Junior right-hander Tommy Mace has yet to see Milchin pitch. Still, Milchin has gained Mace's respect for the way he has handled his circumstances.

"You can't ask for a better kid, just taking everything day by day and just being so happy every day. He's always got a smile. He's always cracking jokes. He always having fun, but he definitely still puts his work in in the trainer's room,'' Mace said. "He works really hard. I'm excited for him to hopefully get back."

If all goes well, Milchin envisions making his long-awaited return this season.

If not, well, that is another story.

For now, he plans to continue putting in the work and see what happens. The obvious question: Why does he still do it?

"I just love playing,'' he said. "The last time I was able to play it was an unbelievable year. I guess it's just kind of getting that taste and hoping to be able to get back in a situation like that kind of keeps me going. This whole experience made me realize that you never really know when you're going to be done for the last time."