PREP BASEBALL: Central's Alvey thankful to be back (6/3)

By CHUCK JONES cjones@thenewsenterprise.com CECILIA — When Central Hardin junior Cody Alvey took the mound in last week’s 5th Region Tournament, he didn’t know what to expect. It had been nearly two weeks since he left the mound in pain after his right leg collapsed beneath him. But any doubts Alvey had were quickly replaced by how well the right-hander was throwing. He tossed two perfect innings in relief and struck out five of the six Campbellsville batters he faced. “Getting out there again, it felt as good as new,” Alvey said. “Warming up in the bullpen, it’s the best I’ve felt in quite awhile. I guess I was rested and ready to go.” Alvey’s outing was certainly good news for the Bruins, who will need Alvey as they begin their best-of-three Semi-State 3 series with Christian Academy of Louisville on Wednesday at Louisville Male High School. Alvey is one of Central Hardin’s most experienced pitchers. He worked his way into the rotation as a freshman and has been there ever since. This season he has logged 58 1/3 innings, second-best on the team. “In the article on Erik Stein, you said he’s a coach’s player and Cody’s the same type of player,” Central Hardin coach Todd Thompson said. “Every free moment he has, he works to make himself better. He works in the bullpen, he’s doing long toss, he’s running on the track. He’s a hard worker and he understands what it takes to be successful. We needed him to come back.” In the final regular-season game, Alvey was covering home on a play and caught his right toe on the plate, which turned him in the opposite direction. At first, Alvey didn’t think it was anything serious. He returned to the mound, and on the first pitch, he felt an unusual pain. When he tried to throw the second pitch, Alvey collapsed. “I thought I was done,” Alvey said. “I was terrified.” Alvey had to wait two long agonizing days before he found out the injury wasn’t as bad as initially thought. Although he could still face the possibility of surgery on his right knee, it wasn’t a dreaded ACL or MCL tear. “The good news is it wasn’t too severe,” Alvey said. “I was really relieved. But it still hit me kind of hard because I knew I was going to be out for awhile.” But the time away from pitching had a positive affect on Alvey. “Going on two or three days rest every time out, it wears on you,” Alvey said. “I was going to physical therapy and I built my knee back stronger. But with the break, I was able to nurse it (his arm) and get it back to where it was. It feels stronger than it did.” Alvey is 4-5 this season with a 3.12 earned run average. He has registered 50 strikeouts, while allowing 43 hits and 19 walks. One of his four wins came against CAL earlier this season. “It’s a little bit of a mental advantage,” Alvey said of having faced CAL once this season. “I know their hitters and I know what I need to do. They have a good lineup, so I’m going to have to mix up my speeds and hit my spots.” More important to Alvey is having the opportunity to be back on the mound and help Central Hardin add on to its history-making season. “The feelings are indescribable,” Alvey said. “These seniors have been great, so hopefully, we can make a little more history before it’s all said and done.” Chuck Jones can be reached at 505-1759