Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki Outfielder Grant Gerrard Suffers Season-Ending Injury
04/07/2005 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
April 7, 2005
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois' baseball team suffered a huge loss today when it learned junior right fielder Grant Gerrard will miss the remainder of the 2005 season.
In SIU's series-opener against Creighton on Apr. 1, Gerrard made his first start in right field since sustaining a minor ankle sprain against Western Michigan on Mar. 19.
Gerrard started the series strong by hitting a RBI-double and scoring a run, which aided in a three-run, first-inning for the Dawgs.
Shortly after crossing the plate, he turned around to see if teammate Nathan Emrick would also score on the play. In the process, he inverted the same ankle on CU's astroturf, and was forced to leave the game.
Despite re-aggravating his injury, Gerrard remained in the lineup as SIU's designated hitter for the rest of the series.
With attention drawn to treating his recurring ankle problems, there was never any indication until Wednesday that something else might be bothering Gerrard.
That's why today's news came as such a shock.
Prior to Wednesday's matchup against Murray State, Gerrard started experiencing sharp pain in his left wrist which appeared to be affecting his swing during batting practice.
After initial x-rays came back negative, Gerrard was sent to the hospital for a bone scan early this morning. The results of the scan revealed a small fracture in the scaphoid bone of his left wrist.
"We feel Grant is one of the most dangerous hitters in the league, and obviously it's a big loss," said SIU head coach Dan Callahan. "However, we can either fold the tent or rally the troops. As much as we hate to lose Grant, this is a potential opportunity for someone else to step into the spotlight."
Gerrard ranks among the top-five Missouri Valley Conference leaders in RBI (t5th; 26), home runs (t1st; 5), total bases (3rd; 60) and slugging percentage (5th; .556). He is also the Salukis' second-leading hitter with a .333 average in 27 starts.
