How Kendall Pettis recovered to break out for OU baseball on College World Series run

NORMAN — Kimberly Hollingsworth had some good intel.

After her son, Kendall Pettis, suffered a torn UCL in his left elbow during a game against UTSA on March 13, Hollingsworth called him every day to see how he was doing.

Pettis appeared to be in good spirits each time, but his friends told a different story.

"His friends would call me, which kind of made me anxious," Hollingsworth said. "They would tell me, 'Kendall is really down.' But when I would talk to him, he would act like he wasn't down. The intel from his friends kept me on top of checking in on him."

It wasn't hard to see why Pettis was struggling.

The redshirt sophomore outfielder has emerged as one of OU's hottest hitters during its run to the College World Series, which begins 1 p.m. Friday with a game against No. 5-seeded Texas A&M at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

But his breakout campaign almost never happened.

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Pettis was off to a good start during OU's game against UTSA. He launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to give his team a 4-0 lead, and he later drew a walk in the fourth.

That's when things took a turn for the worse.

Pettis tried to steal second base and slid head-first in an effort to beat the tag, but UTSA's second baseman landed on his left arm.

"When I felt that happen, it was an excruciating pain," Pettis said. "I really thought my arm was broken."

While his arm wasn't broken, Pettis was told that he'd miss a few weeks due to the injury. 

He was devastated.

"Mentally, it really hurt me a lot," Pettis said. "When I got that news, it kind of put me in a bad mental state."

Fortunately for Pettis, his mother and the rest of his loved ones were there for support.

"I was really sad, but I talked to my friends and family a lot," Pettis said. "I got a lot of messages, a lot of gifts and stuff like that. That really helped me get through it."

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With the support of his loved ones and the help of OU's staff, Pettis made his return to the diamond 20 days later on April 2.

Even though he was healthy enough to play ball again, he still felt like he was being held back by the injury.

"I could still feel the injury, so that always crept into the back of my mind," Pettis said. "For my first couple of games, I was like, 'Oh, I don't know if I should swing at this pitch' or 'I don't know if I should swing as hard as I can.'

"I was really thinking too much."

On May 6, Pettis finally had enough.

Before the start of OU's road series, against TCU, Pettis decided to get rid of the brace he had been wearing since his return.

"I really got tired of that feeling of doubt," Pettis said. "I was like, 'You know what? Screw the brace.' I just took it off to see how it felt, and it was feeling fine."

With the shedding of the brace, Pettis shed all the doubts he had about his abilities.

Pettis went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored one run that day against the Horned Frogs, and he hasn't looked back since.

In the 21 games Pettis has played without the brace, he has 16 RBIs and scored 23 runs. He's batting .364 since then.

Pettis is swinging well in the ninth spot of OU's lineup. It's a slot that's usually reserved for the team's weakest hitter, but Pettis has reinvented that role.

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"When in you're in the nine-hole, I feel like a lot of people disrespect that person," Pettis said. "They think you can't hit and you don't have to really worry about them, which is good for me. Y'all can keep treating me fastballs. It's kind of like a second lead-off hitter."

Pettis has never complained about his spot in the lineup, which is due in part to the way he was raised. The Chicago native was taught to lead by example. His father is a police officer, and his mother is the president of Olive-Harvey College in Chicago.

Even during a breakout season with the Sooners, Kendall's selection to the Academic All-Big 12 Team is what Hollingsworth enjoyed seeing the most.

Pettis was ranked nationally by Perfect Game as the 209th-best prospect in his class when he graduated from high school, but it was his strong moral compass that caught the eye of OU head coach Skip Johnson.

"We can see that (players) can run fast, hit hard and throw good breaking balls," Johnson said. "But really it's the intangibles, what's inside his mind and what's inside his heart. He's an unbelievable kid. He was a leader when he stepped in here."

OU is hitting its stride with Pettis leading the way, and it was only right that he helped the team punch its ticket to the College World Series.

With its season on the line, OU earned an 11-2 win over No. 4-seeded Virginia Tech on Sunday in the Blacksburg Super Regional. Pettis had a home run and two RBIs, but his shining moment came on defense.

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OU held a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning when Virginia Tech's Jack Hurley sent a deep shot into left field that appeared to be a foul ball.

But Pettis secured the catch as he flipped over the wall and into the Hokies' bullpen.

Pettis used his left arm to break his fall, which is something he might've been hesitant to do when he initially returned from his injury.

Those days of doubting his abilities are over, though.

"In a do-or-die game, I was like, 'Screw it, I'll just jump,'" Pettis said. "I was just trying to do whatever I could to help."

His parents were in the crowd to watch the sensational catch. The two have attended OU's postseason games along with other family members and friends to cheer on Pettis.

"I know they both have tough jobs, ones that require a lot of time," Pettis said. "For them to get time off from their jobs to come out and watch me play is very special to me. I appreciate them for everything."

OU is now College World Series bound for the first time since 2010.

It's something few outside people expected out of a team that was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 preseason poll. And after everything Pettis has overcome this season, he's just happy to play a part in the storybook run.

"To finally be here, it's been great," Pettis said of the CWS berth. "I'm just looking forward to getting there and enjoying the moment."

Justin Martinez can be reached at jmartinez@oklahoman.com or @JTheSportsDude on Twitter. Make sure to subscribe to The Oklahoman to stay up to date with all local sports.

College World Series

Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb.

Friday's games

► Texas A&M vs. OU, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

► Notre Dame vs. Texas, 6 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday's games

► Stanford vs. Arkansas, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

► Ole Miss vs. Auburn, 6 p.m. (ESPN2)