Chad Concolino did not come back from a devastating ankle
fracture to attempt to turn pro. He did not come back to be a
starter for the UCLA baseball team. In fact, Concolino did not come
back with hopes to see much playing time at all.
What the fifth-year senior did come back for is something far
more profound and refreshing in today’s athletic environment
which often rewards individual selfishness over team togetherness.
He came back for the camaraderie and love of his teammates.
“I had to come back; I love this team,” said
Concolino, now the Bruins’ starting center fielder. “I
knew I would regret not coming back and spending time with the guys
for the rest of my life.
“(Coach) Gary Adams and the teammates I have are like
brothers to me,” he continued. “They mean so much to
me.”
The Santa Ana native hurt his ankle early in 2003 in the last
practice before UCLA’s season began. He was competing for a
starting spot. Doctors said the injury would end his baseball
career.
“I jumped up for a fly ball and hit the wall, and it
completely shattered my ankle,” he said. “I never
really thought I was going to play again.”
Despite surgery and intense rehabilitation, the ankle did not
progress as well as Concolino had hoped. By last season’s
end, Concolino was about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree
in history without having played a single game for the Bruins in
his two years in Westwood.
After transferring from the University of San Diego, his first
year as a Bruin was also marred by bad luck when he went through
problems with the NCAA which forced him to take a redshirt
year.
With his career seemingly over, Concolino headed to Costa Rica
last summer to develop his skills with the Spanish language and
possibly pursue business opportunities.
But at the end of the summer, Concolino started getting phone
calls from Adams and various players urging him to give baseball
one more shot. He decided to try and rehab his ankle again.
“To this point in my life, I haven’t had any
regrets, and I didn’t want to regret not coming back and
playing with these guys,” Concolino said.
He flew back to California and started the rehab again, but this
time his success was considerably better than just a few months
earlier.
Though his ankle is still not 100 percent, Concolino has
overcome numerous odds. And after being removed from competitive
baseball for three years, Concolino is now the Bruins’
starting center fielder and leadoff hitter.
This season, his hitting has been less than stellar, with only a
.158 batting average. But for someone with so much time off, his
batting eye has been impressive. Eight walks and four hit by
pitches have raised his on-base percentage to a respectable
.347.
“To be honest, it’s tough,” Concolino said.
“However, I can think it is tough, or suck it up and find a
way. My teammates have helped a lot. We’re so deep this year
that I can be rusty.”
Though he recognizes his limitations, Concolino is comfortable
with his team and his role on it.
“I’m not nearly as explosive and I can’t run
like I used to, but I did not come back to go pro,” Concolino
said. “I came back to be part of this team.”
Even more important to Concolino is the fact that he was chosen
by his teammates to be a co-captain this season.
“I was so honored to be elected a co-captain,” he
said. “The thing about our team is that we have older guys;
they are men and they elected me. It’s such an
honor.”
The Bruin coach recognized Concolio’s appeal as a
captain.
“He was elected captain without even playing a
game,” Adams said. “Our guys saw how hard he
practices.
“Whenever he hits a pop-up or a fly ball, no one questions
whether he will go all-out. He assumes the defense will miss. He
sets such a good example by the way he plays.”
Senior pitcher Casey Janssen echoes Adams’ sentiments.
“Chad comes out and works his butt off and gives 100
percent every single day,” Janssen said.
The Bruin skipper even went so far as to compare
Concolino’s determination to that of the 16th president of
the United States.
“He’s as determined as Abe Lincoln,” Adams
said. “Lincoln failed most of the time in all sorts of things
when he was young, but did not give up. And neither does Chad.
“His work ethic is second to none. He’s persevered
through a lot of heartache and body ache. A lot of guys would have
given up.”
Giving up was not an option for Concolino. He worked hard and
now that work is paying off for him.
“If I did not come back, I would have wondered,
“˜What if?’ I wanted to experience all of this and I am
so happy that I am able to,” he said.