When pitchers hear “UCL injury,” it’s never a good feeling.
That often leads to Tommy John surgery and a lengthy rehab and recovery process. Some hurlers go through it more than once and some are never the same again.
Zack Millsaps is one of the fortunate ones.
The Beecher Muskies right-hander suffered a grade one UCL strain that cost him most of his sophomore year at Kankakee Community College in 2023 as well as his Muskies season that year.
“I had to do, like, a year of physical therapy … a lot of rehab,” Millsap told the Vedette before the Muskies played the New Lenox Pumas on July 17. “It was just a hard time going through that. … It was very difficult. Once I did feel pain in my elbow, I couldn’t throw a baseball at all. I tried, because I was trying to come back for that season. … Just picking up a baseball and throwing it lightly hurt, so I had to just shut it down. …
“It was frustrating because the pain wasn’t going away. … Our trainer was, like, ‘You’ve got to give it time and trust the process.'”
Before getting hurt, Millsap was being recruited by UIC. The Flames stuck with him, and eventually his rehab work paid off. By the middle of fall ball in 2023, he was throwing again.
Millsap had started his college career with one season at St. Xavier in 2022, going 3-1 with a 1.41 ERA in 14 appearances, all in relief. The Crete-Monee graduate went to Kankakee hoping to become a starter, but he was back in the bullpen at UIC.
He appeared in five games in 2024, but emerged as the Flames’ closer this spring, finishing 1-3 with seven saves and a 4.31 ERA in 23 games.
Millsap is not a prototypical closer who overpowers hitters with an above-average fastball.
“I’m more of an offspeed guy,” he said. “I’m not gonna blow you away with 95 (mph), but I have stuff that I’m confident in and I can trust it.”
Millsap has been especially effective for the Muskies this summer, going 0-2 with two saves and a 1.69 ERA over nine games through July 17.
“I love playing with these guys,” said Millsap, whose first season with the Muskies was 2022. “It’s just relaxing. You just play, you’ve got no stress. And my (goal) for this team, especially the older guys, I want to win the (National Amateur Baseball Federation) World Series for them.
“We almost had a shot last year (finishing second). … But that’s what I’m looking forward to.”