By Matt Gade

605 Sports

RAPID CITY — When Declan Mickley felt the pop in his elbow, he knew it wasn’t good.

But sitting out all of last year might have been even tougher for the Post 22 left-handed pitcher.

“It sucked,” Mickley said of missing the 2024 season. “I wasn't able to go on bus rides. And, you know, baseball's been my summer for my whole life. And without being able to bond with my teammates and the guys that I've grown up with playing baseball, it sucked. Seeing those guys kicking butt out there, and, you know, can't be a part of that.”

Mickley ended up rupturing his Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his elbow and required Tommy John surgery. 

Mickley said he felt strain on his elbow during his sophomore football season while playing defensive end, but said it just felt sore.

It wasn’t until he was throwing at baseball practice that he heard the pop.

“We were playing a football game, and I thought I had hyper-extended my arm. Someone had landed on my elbow and pushed it into where there's a little bit of swelling. But I didn't think much of it,” Mickley said. “I played the season just fine. So when football was over, I hopped right into baseball. And whenever I threw, there would just be like this pinch, and it just didn't feel natural. 

We got it checked out, got an MRI done. They said, you know, everything's fine. You're just knocking off rust. And one day, I just felt this big old pop in my elbow, and I was just like, oh my gosh.

“At first, I was told that I probably would never be able to throw again, but I got a referral to Mayo (in Rochester, Minnesota). And so that was probably one of the biggest reliefs ever. And after I got the surgery, I was pretty happy that I was able to throw again.”

Over a year later, the St. Thomas More upcoming senior is continuing to find his throws once again.

For Post 22 Head Coach Kelvin Torve, he said watching Mickley the past year has shown Mickley’s strong work ethic and leadership.

“You know, he's rooting for other guys, pulling for other guys, rooting them on, and he didn't act like he was injured. He acted like he was a member of the team, which is big,” Torve said. “It's an example for other guys… We've got guys that are out for a couple days, and they see Declan putting in nine months' worth of work; they say, ‘Okay, I can do it, I can put in a couple days, or I can put in a week.’ It's just an example that he set for the entire program, not just the varsity, for the entire program. He showed what can be done when suffering a pretty major injury.”

Mickley said he had surgery in May 2024, and it wasn’t until March that he finally got the clearance to pitch in a game again.

After having rehabbed and spending time working on his mechanics, Mickley said his first game was pitching for the Post 22 Expos team, followed by a game with the 18U team before moving up to the Hardhats.

“He's pitched well at every stop,” Torve said of Mickley’s return to the Hardhats.

Driving Mickley was the desire to play baseball in college. Mickley said that’s always been his goal and knew he wanted to be back in time for his junior campaign, when college coaches really recruit.

“This is where the (20)26 and (20)27 graduates, coaches are recruiting them now,” Torve said. “We were down in Pueblo, (Colo.) and in Omaha, (Neb.). I've had four or five colleges ask for his contact information and stuff. So he's gonna pitch in college, just a matter of where we can find a really good fit for him.”

On May 24, Mickley made his Hardhat return debut against the Casper Baseball Club Post 2 Oilers. Mickley went five innings, allowing just two hits and zero runs to earn the win on his return.

“It was amazing,” Mickley said of his return. “I was really stressed out, hoping that my first appearance back was good, and it was just amazing. All the fans were good. All my teammates were very supportive. And I was, you know, very nerve-wracking. My adrenaline was through the roof.”

Heading into games against Brookings on June 27 and Watertown on June 28, Mickley has appeared in a total of five games, earning the wins against CBC Post 2, Pueblo Azteca on June 14 in Pueblo, and against the Minot Vistas on June 20 in Omaha.

“He's pitched well,” Torve said. “...And I just admire him, because it's not an easy injury to come back from. He's left-handed, which is big. He throws strikes. He competes, so he's in the rotation, and he's going to be a big part of what we're doing moving forward.”

Since coming back, Mickley said his biggest challenge now is getting his top speed back. While that may be his focus now, Mickley said, he basically had to relearn how to throw.

“The ball would go all over,” Mickley said. “I think that's probably the biggest challenge most guys with Tommy John face is just getting that command and control back. But then after that, me and my dad would come in here almost every weekend and work on mechanical stuff, like rotation, leg drive and just getting everything back to where it was.”

Mickley said he used to throw in the mid-80s, but right now is topping out at 81-82 miles per hour.

Torve said Mickley is only going to keep getting better as the season progresses.

“The last hurdle to get over from being injured is you're, you know, you're healthy, but you're just a little tentative still,” Torve said. “I think Declan still, is there a little bit. That's the last hurdle when you just really go out there and let it rip, and he's going to get there. Every athlete is that way, where you're just a tiny bit tentative and he's going to get there.”