Harrison pitcher Aiden Schwartz returns to baseball after injuries. 'It was a long road.'

WEST LAFAYETTE — A moment of reassurance and joy overtook the emotions of Harrison senior right-handed pitcher Aiden Schwartz.

Schwartz jogged off the field after handing the ball to coach Pat Lowrey in the seventh inning of a 1-1 tie high school baseball game against McCutcheon.

"It was the longest outing I've had in a while and it was nice to be able to show what I got," Schwartz said.

He looked up at his mom Noel Charshe whose emotions were nearly brought to tears. His father David, the pitching coach for Harrison wrapped his son in a hug.

"He reminds us of what it takes to play baseball, play a competitive sport, to be this good and to come back from all these injuries," Charshe said as tears welled up in her eyes postgame. "It reminds me of how hard we all need to work."

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Schwartz exited an outing without prickly pains in his shoulder and elbow for the first time in over two years. He threw 90 pitches without sharp pains in his right shoulder and prickliness in his elbow.

"It was hard," Schwartz said. "It was a long road."

Schwartz's long road back to high school baseball

Schwartz hadn't pitched a long outing in over two years because of a UCL strain he sustained during football season as a sophomore and then was compounded by a scapula injury as a junior. The combined setbacks forced Schwartz to pitch minimally during his sophomore and junior years.

Charshe watched Schwartz take on the challenges of rehab month after month and drove him to doctors across the state.

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"I had to go through this with him not only through his high school season but also during the summer season," Charshe said. "Watching him have to be sidelined and not being able to pitch in these tournaments across the country is disheartening. It was hard to watch him mentally go through it as well."

Schwartz couldn't compete and was forced to watch two springs go by without having his impact felt on the field. Despite not being able to play, Schwartz never missed a practice, was involved in setting up the diamond and was the vocal leader in the clubhouse.

"The only reason why I got to stay on the team was because I was pouring it all into my teammates," Schwartz said.

The energy provided by Schwartz rubbed off on the rest of Harrison which won three back-to-back IHSAA sectional championships. Schwartz did his part by leading clubhouse chatter to keep his teammates motivated.

"He's a high-character kid and he's always rooting for others," Harrison coach Pat Lowrey said. "He didn't have the 'woah is me attitude.' He's always in here helping others and how he can improve our team whether that's tonight with his pitching or getting foul balls. He's always serving others. He's been a tremendous teammate, regardless of the situation."

Rehab and growth in Indianapolis

Schwartz continued to work and strengthen his arm by attending clinics with the Indiana Bulls in Indianapolis led by former Milwaukee Brewers scout Blake Hibler. Hibler helps manage Prep Baseball Report, an organization that showcases and hosts tournaments for top-ranked baseball players nationally.

Hibler continued to support Schwartz through his recovery.

"Aiden is probably one of the best teammates and best players I've ever coached," Hibler said. "He's a tireless worker almost to a fault. You knew he was going to put in the work. We just had to keep pouring into him and keep being a good support system."

Schwartz returned to form after signing a letter of intent to the University of Alabama at Birmingham in December. He throws a fastball between 89-92 MPH with a mastery of his changeup and slider. His work habits outside of practice and games are college-level, with both his diet and his film study. Schwartz's diet consists of five eggs in the morning with strawberries and blueberries along with a protein shake before heading to school.

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Schwartz enters games and Charshe presses her phone between the gaps of the protective netting behind home plate to get clear angles of each pitch her son throws. Not just during the game but warmups as well between innings. Schwartz will go home after games to watch and analyze each video clip made by his mom.

"I'm superstitious and I have my spots where they are batting and when he's pitching," Charshe said.

Schwartz's comeback to the mound is now complete after allowing zero earned runs on three hits with six strikeouts. He got the chance to affect the game.

"From a dad standpoint watching him go out and compete for the first time in a couple of years was a lot of fun," David Schwartz said. "That's been the dream for the last couple of years."

'We are not a finished project'

Schwartz's next challenge is getting his team to play together. Harrison committed five errors to fall 3-1 and was swept by McCutcheon during the regular season for the first time since 2021.

The Raiders have 11 underclassmen on their 23-man roster and Schwartz understands that growth will take time - even if the IHSAA Class 4A sectional is less than two months away.

"I like the fact that we are not a finished project," Schwartz said. "I think we are still a work in progress with room to grow. The fact we are competing with room to grow against their best stuff gives me hope for Kokomo."

Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@gannett.com, on Twitter at EthanAHansonand Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Lafayette Harrison's Aiden Schwartz completes IHSAA baseball return