The Grind, presented by Bank of Clarendon: Lyons making the most of time with P-15's after injuries

Hayden Lyons thought he had everything figured out.

The pitcher known for his long red hair was gearing up for his final season with Sumter High. Before the season, he got to watch another left-hander from Sumter work.

Jordan Montgomery was back working with his alma mater and wanted to face some live hitting. Hayden jumped at the opportunity. He stepped into the box and took the former Yankee and current St. Louis Cardinals pitcher out for a home run.

Hayden was on cloud nine, but it didn't last.

As the season inched closer, something didn't feel right. In his last preseason action, he started to experience excruciating pain in his left shoulder. It turned out to be an injury that still hampers him two years later.

Hayden's pitching career has since been put on ice because of that shoulder injury, but he refuses to give up the game he loves.

Why won't he quit?

"Just my love for the game," Hayden said.

THE INJURY

When Hayden first felt that pain in his shoulder, he hoped that a little rest and rehab would do the trick. After a week of working with former Sumter High athletic trainer Gary Nelson, he still wasn't back in pitching shape. The only option was to head to the doctor.

Hayden got an MRI and learned he had a peculiar injury.

"I have an avulsion fracture on the top, back side of my arm," Hayden explained. "My rotator cuff muscles are actually attached to the piece of bone that is broken off."

His injury comes with hyper-specific pain. Hayden can stand at first base, where he plays for the P-15's, and he's good to go. He wears a brace as an extra piece of precaution, but he's fine.

Everything changes when he steps on the mound.

The downward angle and sharp movement required for high velocity are a bad combination. That broken piece of bone swells up and limits his ability to throw.

So, Hayden was forced to sit on the sideline through a tumultuous final season at Sumter High.

Hayden's dad, Billy Lyons, has coached the left-hander throughout his life. Billy struggled to watch his son suddenly lose the game he loved, but he learned a lot about Hayden in the process.

"As a parent, you always hurt when your child hurts," Billy said. "I would have gladly traded places with him any day of the week so that he could have remained on the field.

"On the flip side, the perseverance that he showed to continuously fight adversity as it relates to an injury is remarkable. There's some that would have said, 'I'm done,' and it makes me proud to see that he's willing to continue to stay in the fight."

RETURNING TO THE FIELD

As his final season came to a close, Hayden started to turn his attention to the summer and beyond. He wanted to play for the P-15's, but that required approval from his doctor.

"Going back to the doctor, he was hopeful I would be able to pitch again, just not over the summer," Hayden said. "I'd play again and get my arm back healthy enough to pitch when I go off to college in the fall."

With pitching out of the equation, Hayden turned his attention to the field and the plate. He ended up being a core figure for the P-15's, shooting past the expectations he set for himself after missing an entire season.

"I didn't think I was going to have a very good summer coming off not playing in the spring, and I came out and batted over .300 and led the team in doubles and RBIs, so it was a pretty good summer, pretty fun."

BACK ON THE SIDELINES

After his summer with the P-15's, Hayden went to USC Union to play with his former Sumter High teammate Clayton Goff. Hayden went to Union as both a pitcher and position player, but he was struggling at the plate in the fall. As soon as he turned his attention to pitching full time, his shoulder started acting up again.

"I found out if I want to keep pitching that this injury is going to be something that keeps happening," Hayden said.

Hayden had to consider his options. Surgery on his shoulder was quickly off the table.

"(The doctor) basically said if I were to have surgery, I most likely wouldn't be able to play baseball again," Lyons said.

The next logical question became if he should play baseball at all.

"I told him we were going to support him no matter what. It's your decision. I'm not going to sway you one way or the other," Billy said. "You tell me you're going to proceed forward and do X, Y, and Z to get back out on the field, then our doors are open to help you in any way that we can. If you would have told me, 'Dad, I think I'm done with it,' I would have supported that decision equally. I wanted it always to be his decision as to whether or not to try to stay out on this field."

For Hayden, it was difficult to lose pitching, but he didn't want to lose the sport as a whole.

"It was very hard for me to overcome and understand that I wasn't going to be able to pitch anymore," Hayden said. "Growing up, that's all I wanted to do, so it stuck with me that I'm going to have to be stuck with playing the field, and now I'm happy with that."

Just like during his senior year, Hayden was sidelined for the entire spring. He was taken off the roster at USC Union, which meant he didn't lose a year of eligibility. He was still with the team at practice, constantly working to get back on the field this summer.

"I was shut down, so I couldn't throw or anything," Hayden said. "But I still went to all the practices, and I was in the gym six days a week, just keeping my body in shape."

BACK WITH THE P-15'S

Much like the summer after his senior year, the Sumter P-15's have proven to be an oasis in a baseball desert for Hayden.

"Going off to college, I only had one real friend up there that I knew, so I had to get to know people. I don't really talk to people that I don't know, so it's kinda hard for me," Hayden said. "Coming back home to all these guys I knew was great; we were already like a family."

Even with all that time off, Hayden can still swing the stick.

The redhead is planted in the middle of the lineup for Sumter, hitting .355 heading into this week's series with Charleston. Hayden had his biggest game of the season on Friday night. After a week wrecked by rain, Hayden went 2-3 against their rivals from Manning-Santee, including a walk-off single in the eighth inning.

Regardless of the results, Billy is just glad to see his son back on the field.

"It really means a lot to be able to see him step back out on the field and take a swing and catch a ball, just being out there," Billy said. "That's a lot of what this game is about. Something you get over time is that it's about these young men that are out here and the love and the passion that they have to play."

Hayden feels a similar sentiment. Injuries can bog down one's passion for any sport, but that hasn't been the case for Hayden.

"I think it's kind of grown my passion for the game, makes me feel more grateful about it because you never know when your last day playing might be," Hayden said. "That's crossed my mind with this shoulder injury is when is my last day going to come? I have to be grateful for every day that I can still come out here."

FUTURE ON THE DIAMOND

As of right now, Hayden's last game won't be for the P-15's.

Hayden won't be headed back to USC Union in the fall. Instead, he's going to stay in town. He's transferring to play for Tim Medlin at USC Sumter.

"I'm really excited about it," Hayden said. "Hopefully I can keep my shoulder healthy enough to play this year."

Billy is thrilled that Hayden will have the chance to continue playing his home games in Riley Park.

"Well, it costs me a lot less money," Billy joked. "But I would have supported him going back to Union if that's what he would have chosen. I would have supported him going anywhere. It's gonna be special to be able to see him out here, and coach Medlin is such a great guy; we're good friends, and he does a really good job with his program."

Hayden doesn't want his last game to be at USC Sumter, either.

"The long-term goal is to go to USC Sumter this year, earn some playing time and hopefully play well enough to be able to transfer out to hopefully a bigger school for next year," Hayden said.

Billy can't wait to see what happens next.

"Whatever the future holds is between him and God; it's not for me to decide," Billy said. "He wants to continue to try to play, and if he earns some playing time at USC Sumter, we're going to support that. In any endeavor he takes, I'll support him."

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE P-15'S

The P-15's are a staple in Sumter, especially for the Lyons family.

Hayden's grandfather, Bill, has been part of American Legion Post 15 for ages. Billy has coached for the Junior and Senior teams since Hayden's older brother Bryce suited up for the Juniors. Hayden takes great pride in representing the P-15's.

"Coming out here and watching the older guys play as a little kid, it's always a dream to hopefully come out here and play for the P-15's," Hayden said. "It's been great living that dream.

"It's just a staple of the town. Any time I go out and I have a P-15's shirt on, it's, 'Oh, you play for the P-15's? How are y'all doing?' Everyone in the town just cares about the team and the program."

Hayden truly gets to see how important the P-15's are when the team hosts its annual youth baseball camp. Working with the next generation of baseball players who wants to follow in his footsteps gives him a fresh perspective.

"All those kids look up to us like we're major league players," Hayden said. "It's great being able to inspire the youth."