Organized Chaos
Your place for sports with dashes of video games, movies and more.
GC Diamond Report (March 19)
March 19th, 2008, 6:15 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Brad Milner
Bryam Garcia’s baseball season officially is over.
The Gulf Coast sophomore right-handed pitcher was shut down last week. He was attempting to come back from shoulder surgery during the summer, but GC coach Mike Kandler, his staff and Garcia decided it was wise to apply for a medical hardship waiver to save a year of his eligibility.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Garcia signed with Florida International University and will be able to play up to three seasons for the Golden Panthers if he is successful in receiving the medical redshirt.
Kandler believes Garcia will have no trouble earning the medical hardship since he has met the requirements, which include not playing in more than 20 percent of the team’s games before the injury occurred or was aggravated. Garcia also couldn’t throw a single pitch in the last half of the season to qualify.
“We tried to accelerate the timetable for his return, but we knew this was best for Bryam,” Kandler said. “He’s too good of a guy to just throw out there and waste a season.”
Garcia appeared in one game this season. He started against Shelton State Feb. 17 and tossed one inning with a walk, a hit batsmen and a wild pitch. He was 6-1 with a 2.86 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 21 walks in 66 innings as a freshman.
Brothers on the mend
GC right-hander Scott Brothers was schedule to have an MRI on Tuesday to determine damage in his elbow. Initial examinations pointed to possible bone chips, but nothing was conclusive, Kandler said.
Brothers, 6-2, 203, is 5-0 with a 2.88 ERA, 31 strikeouts and only six walks in 34 1/3 innings. He will not pitch until the MRI results are back and a course of action is determined.
Up next
GC baseball returns to Panhandle Conference in a home-and-home series against Chipola College in Marianna at 5 p.m. on Friday and in Panama City at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
GC softball opened the conference doubleheader slate at home with a sweep of Okaloosa-Walton Tuesday. The Lady Commodores are at North Florida at 1 p.m. on Friday.
