August 25, 2006
MSU pitcher Lea out for 2007 season
By Ian R. Rapoport
irapopor@clarionledger.com
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State pitcher Matt Lea will miss the 2007 season, coach Ron Polk said today.
Lea, a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher from Collierville, Tenn., had been tentatively penciled into the starting rotation for this season.
But he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder two weeks ago, Polk said, and the rehabilitation will likely mean he’ll be forced to sit out the year.
As a freshman last season, Lea went 5-1 with a 2.01 ERA as a midweek starter. He held opponents to a team-low .206 batting average.
But as soon as he had won a spot in the weekend rotation for SEC games, he felt discomfort in his shoulder. He threw his last inning in a game against Memphis and never returned.
Polk said two different Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tests didn’t reveal a tear. Finally, the third one showed the problem.
"And now he’s out for the year," Polk said. "That really hurts us."
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