By Harry Minium
COLUMBIA, S.C.
It was, for a few moments, perhaps the highlight of Robbie Petracci's fledgling college baseball career. On April 30, he hit a two-run home run for the Old Dominion University baseball team that helped the Monarchs defeat Charlotte, then the top-ranked team in Conference USA.
He was amped up as he rounded the based and jumped into the air to exchange high fives with teammates with a bit too much enthusiasm. His foot landed awkwardly on a teammate's cleats and he immediately felt a stabbing pain in his knee. Athletic trainers suspected he had a torn ACL, which a follow-up MRI confirmed.
In an instant, what had been a promising season appeared to be over for the freshman from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., who was demoralized.
"It was a big home run on a Friday night game," he said. "So, it's like I was at the very top, and then I'm right back down at the bottom."
He didn't stay there long. Determined to play again this season, he waited for the swelling and pain to subside and began rehab therapy. Though he was scheduled for surgery, he postponed it.
Then about two weeks ago, he began taking batting practice.
On Sunday, in the top of the eighth inning of the Conference USA championship game, he became the most unlikely of heroes for the Monarchs. Coach Chris Finwood called on Petracci to pinch hit and he made the most of his chance for redemption on national TV.
After fouling off a slider, he pounced on a fastball and smashed it over the railroad tracks about 20 yards behind the outfield fence at Louisiana Tech's J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
His home run lifted ODU to a 5-3 lead and without it, the Monarchs most likely would not have beaten LA Tech, nor won its first Conference USA title ever.
The victory earned ODU a No. 11 seed in the NCAA tournament, and the Monarchs open Friday night at 7 against Jacksonville at the University of South Carolina's Founders Park. Virginia and South Carolina play at noon Friday.
As Petracci gimped his way around the bases, it was reminiscent of Kirk Gibson's famous home run in the 1988 World Series, when he stepped to the plate for the Los Angeles Dodgers with two injured legs and hit a game-winning home run against the Oakland Athletics.
So reminiscent that Petracci has become something of an internet star. ODU's Grant Gardner posted a video on the ODU Baseball Twitter account of his home run, noting he'd just homered with a torn ACL.
It had more than 30,000 views Thursday morning and has been copied by other Twitter users, including several intrepid souls who interlaced video of Petracci and Gibson.
"I've seen it," Petracci said. "It's pretty cool."
As Gibson was rounding second base, he twice pumped his right arm backwards, in one of the most iconic moments is baseball.
"I thought about doing that," Petracci said.
Then he thought better of it. He realized ODU had not yet won the game and he didn't want to do anything that LA Tech might interpret as disrespectful.
Smart decision there.
Petracci also made another good call recently when he reached out to Ole Miss first baseman Tim Elko, who tore his ACL in early April, and yet has made a return to the lineup as the Rebels' designated hitter. Elko has since hit four home runs and eight RBIs.
Petracci had a direct message conversation via Instagram with Elko and said the Ole Miss player was gracious and a huge help.
"He kind of walked me through everything he did," Petracci said. "He walked me through his whole recovery process, and I followed it step by step.
"He told me about the brace that he is wearing and I'm wearing the same one. I'm very appreciative. He helped me a ton."
Petracci went with the team to the tournament in Ruston, Louisiana not knowing whether he would get a chance to play, but got an inkling that might occur while taking batting practice last week.
"When we're doing batting practice, we start with hitting to the opposite field, where you shorten up your swing," he said. "I'm hitting softballs over the shortstop's head and coach Finny (Finwood's nickname) comes out and stops the round.
"He asks me, 'Rob, if I'm putting you in there with a torn ACL, do you think I'm doing it so you can bloop the ball over the shortstop's head and barely make it to first?'
He responded, "probably not."
"Then go ahead and do what I put you in to do," Finwood said.
He hit a line drive off the scoreboard on the next pitch. "There you go. You don't have to run too hard if you do that," Finwood said.
Finwood gave Petracci a heads up a few minutes before he put him in as a pinch hitter. Petracci was nervous but said the extra time gave him a chance to envision his strategy at the plate.
When he hit the ball, he headed to first base with all the grace of a herd of reindeer trying to cross a frozen pond. He was sure the ball was gone. "But I didn't want to get thrown out if it bounced off the fence."
Not to worry.
His homer silenced a raucous, a capacity crowd of 2,500.
ODU may face the same kind of hostile reception this weekend. If both ODU and South Carolina win on Friday, the Monarchs and Gamecocks will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Founders Park is essentially a professional minor league stadium. With 8,242 seats, the stadium is often full and always when the Gamecocks play rivals such as Clemson or Georgia.
The facility, which cost $35.6 million to build, has five luxury suites and a club area, along with a store featuring Gamecock attire. It has often been rated the No. 1 college baseball facility in the nation.
Petracci said the three games ODU played at Louisiana Tech last week was a great preparation for if they the Gamecocks this week.
Although the LA Tech crowds topped out at about 3,000, less than half of what ODU could see Saturday night, he said he'd never experienced anything like the crowds in Ruston.
"The crowds down there were awesome. That atmosphere, I have never seen anything like it, never played in anything like it," he said.
"Playing those games in Ruston, that really prepared us for coming here."
And gave Petracci a chance for redemption.
Minium worked 39 years at The Virginian-Pilot, where he was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and won 28 state and national writing awards. He writes news stories, features and commentaries for odusports.com and odu.edu Follow him on Twitter @Harry_MiniumODU, Instagram @hbminium1 or email hminium@odu.edu
Minium: Robbie Petracci Homered for ODU Baseball, ala Kirk Gibson, With a Torn ACL
