Nic McCay's perseverance rewarded with Kentucky commitment

McCay missed three seasons at South Dakota State from 2020-23 while recovering from multiple Tommy John surgeries.

Photo courtesy of South Dakota State University Athletics

Nic McCay thought maybe he’d had enough.

The former South Dakota State right-handed pitcher was one of the Summit League’s best pitchers in 2019, starting 14 games and finishing with a 6-1 record, 4.08 ERA and 83 strikeouts in 79.1 innings pitched. But McCay, who had no prior arm injury history, endured two Tommy John surgeries and missed three seasons between 2020-23.

His first ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear happened at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic began to shut down the country early in 2020.

“I didn’t know what Tommy John was until I tore it and people started telling me about it,” McCay told Bat Cats Central. “The rehab was pushed back because of COVID... When we were trying to get into surgery centers, everything was getting closed down. There wasn’t enough space, so sitting out two seasons was kind of rough.”