Ole Miss lefty overcomes significant injuries to eye role as a freshman

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OXFORD | Jordan Fowler has three main memories from June 14, 2017.

Around 2:20 p.m. the Rangers selected him in the MLB Draft, making official the success of a lifetime goal, a baseball milestone that signals the bookend to the work to achieve it and the beginning to the decision and path that come next.

Fowler’s other memories stem from what happened hours later, as he headed to a friend’s house to decompress from a mentally draining few days.

There was the gravel on the curvy road and the crash as his vehicle struck the ditch and then a tree. There was the inability to move his back or neck as he exited the car. There were the phone calls for help.

And then there’s a gap in his recollections.

All went foggy until the emergency room. Waiting on treatment and a prognosis, the 18-year-old left-hander worried his career might be over before it began.

“In the ER it was going through my head over and over that I may never play baseball again,” Fowler said. “It was a stressful day, and it topped it off in a not so good way. When I tried to get out of the car I couldn’t bend my neck or back, so I knew something was wrong.”

The current Ole Miss freshman broke a vertebra in his back and fractured one in his neck. Stitches were needed to close a gash in his forehead from the impact after his car slid off the gravel and was stopped by the tree.

The Union City, Tennessee, native had already decided he was going to college prior to the 26th round pickup from the Rangers and the accident. He signed with Ole Miss — choosing the Rebels over Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Mississippi State, among others — in fall of 2016, and Perfect Game pegged him the No. 216 player nationally. While he was confident in his decision, he’d stressed about the life-changing choice to attend college or start his career.

Teams called and offered him in the third round two days prior to being drafted by the Rangers. He held to his number and knew when he went to bed on June 12 that he would be going to Oxford for his next step.

“I thought about the third-round offer a while, but I didn’t want that lifestyle yet,” Fowler said. “I didn’t want to be on the road all the time and in hotels. I can raise my draft stock in college.

“Teams came very close to my (signing bonus) number but not to the point I could skip college for it.”

Overcoming the serious injury was the next step. While his teammates were playing summer baseball or working out and acclimating to Ole Miss’ strength and conditioning program, Fowler spent nine weeks in a neck brace and back brace. He lost down to 155 pounds and couldn’t do any physical activity.

“I was set back because the other guys were here during the summer getting stronger, and I was home in a back brace unable to do anything,” Fowler said. “I had to work my way up to their level. It took weeks to gain some of it back after really not being able to move at all.”

Once the braces came off, the 6-foot-3 Dyer County product, who went 20-2 during his high school career, started to gain weight and used a combination of recovery therapy and a gradual throwing program to get into playing shape. After more than a month, he progressed through bullpens and eventually participated in team work.

Fowler’s velocity is a touch off his typical 91-93 MPH fastball, but that should continue to elevate as his gains more strength. He now weighs 180 pounds and thinks he’s stronger than prior to the accident.

“Obviously he wasn’t 100 percent in the fall, but he looks great right now,” Ole Miss pitching coach Carl Lafferty said. “He’s incredibly talented and he worked hard to get it back. I think we’ll all see him continue to improve as we go into the spring.”

Ole Miss is counting on Fowler to contribute, as he’s likely one of only two left-handers to see meaningful innings. The other one, Ryan Rolison, is a projected first round pick and will anchor the starting rotation.

The two are somewhat linked, as Rolison’s decision a year ahead of Fowler provided him with an example of what he hopes to accomplish. Rolison turned down early-round money during the Draft to attend college and is a few injury-free months from results showing it was the right decision.

“It definitely increased my want for college to see him give up his high status to go to school and then have a chance to go as highly as he does this summer,” Fowler said. “It motivated me.

“I’m ready to go. I know I can compete out here, and I just thank God I have that chance after what happened.”