Selah P Reid Rasmussen Recovers From Elbow Surgery

2019 Selah (Wash) pitcher Reid Rasmussen is a man that’s making the best of a really tough situation.

Going into his senior year, Rasmussen was projected to be a bonafide superstar for Selah.

A featured starter on the basketball team and the unquestioned ace of the baseball team were his calling cards.

All that was taken away from him on a Seattle baseball diamond this past Fall.

“I was pitching and I felt great,” Rasmussen said. “Then I threw a breaking ball and my whole elbow popped.”

Rasmussen was immediately pulled from the game and taken to a local hospital.

It was there where an MRI revealed he had suffered severe damage to his Ulnar Collateral Ligament.

In more loose terms, he was going to need Tommy John Surgery. It’s a procedure that takes nine months to a year to recover from.

The surgery was performed in November by world recognized Dr. Edward Khalfayan. He penciled his return date for the Summer of 2019.

How this injury could’ve happened is anyone’s guess. Although Rasmussen believes that overworking himself was a big factor.

There were times this past Summer where he would pitch multiple days in a row. This was coming off a Spring where he led the Selah pitching staff in innings thrown.

Combine that with pitching on a rainy, chilly Fall evening, and it may have been a recipe for disaster.

Regardless of the reason, Rasmussen’s future was set in stone. He was going to miss out his entire senior year of sports.

“It was hardest for me knowing that I wasn’t going to play basketball,” Rasmussen said. “Because I know I’m never going to play that sport again.”

Acting as the sixth man last year, Rasmussen was expected to start and play crucial minutes this season. His absence is still being felt.

Perhaps where he’ll be missed most however is on the baseball diamond.

It’s Rasmussen's favorite sport, and Selah has relied on him in their most crucial games over the years.

During the last three seasons, Rasmussen has won three All-League awards, a 2016 State Title, and boasts a dandy sub 1.80 career ERA.

He’s the CWAC equivalent of a CY Young pitcher, and it’s virtually impossible to replace that kind of production

Right now Rasmussen is working three days a week at a physical therapy clinic, and is doing some sort of rehab every day.

Despite the injury setback, Rasmussen is confident he’s going to be 100% ready when his name is called at the college level.

The first stop on his college baseball journey is going to be for the Yakima Valley Yaks.

It’s a program that’s coming off a NWAC Title appearance, and Rasmussen believes this is the right starting place.

“I think YVC was the best choice for me,” Rasmussen said. “I love the coaches and it’ll be great for my education.”

Because you only get two years at the junior college level, Rasmussen expects he will be going to bigger and better places in the future.

The ultimate goal? To one day pitch for a division one baseball program.

It may not be as far fetched as you think. Rasmussen has been on the radar of Washington State and Oregon for much of his prep career.

“I put all my faith in God,” Rasmussen said. “He did this to me for a reason, so I put all my trust in him.”

This is a local athlete worth monitoring going forward, as he continues to chase his baseball dream.