PLYMOUTH, Minn. (BVM) — Tucked away in Aberdeen, South Dakota, a town of about 30,000 residents in the northeast of the state, lies Northern State University. Five hours east lies the Minneapolis – St. Paul metropolitan area, which has recently provided a steady pipeline of college athletes wanting to play Division II baseball. 

A 2019 Wayzata graduate and current pitcher for the Wolves, Blake Ask, is one of 11 Minnesotans on the 2022 roster. Listed as a junior, Ask has played in just three games in two years, a much different path than his fellow teammates. 

His college career began with a toss into the fire by Northern State’s head coach Dean Berry. During the team’s first game of the season in the bright lights of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, a double-header against St. Cloud State could not have started much worse for the Wolves.

Down 5-0 in the final inning of game 1, Ask’s name was called. He was getting thrown into a mess of a game with Northern State needing to record two more outs – something he was not quite prepared for. 

“It was like the most nervous I have been in my entire life,” Ask said. “We played just two seven-inning games that day and it was the end of the first game and another pitcher was on the mound in the seventh inning so I was thinking I have to prepare for the next game. Then he comes in, walks a couple guys, and then all of the sudden I am getting loose and my heart is just like beating out of my chest.”

Once on the mound, those nerves caught up to Ask, and it was a disaster. On the first batter he faced, Ask was called for a balk. Then, on the next batter, Ask issued a four-pitch walk. This was the start of a rally by St. Cloud State where they accumulated three doubles, one walk, two hit batters, one balk and four runs, all surrendered by Ask in just 0.2 innings. 

“It was one of those things where it was a cool experience, but also a very good learning experience because my next outing after that I was just fine,” Ask said. “It was just kind of a thing where I was super scared but I kind of realized it is the same game I have been playing since like five.”

And with that realization, he began to settle in. Three days later, Ask made his second career appearance, this time versus Regis University. He allowed just one run – a home run – but retired the three other batters he faced. Then in his next appearance, Ask had his most promising performance going 4.1 innings against Wayne State, allowing just one earned run while striking out five batters. 

However, that was the last time that Ask has taken the mound for Northern State. Just one game later, which happened to be the Wolves’ first win of the season, COVID-19 struck, the remainder of the 2020 season was cancelled and Ask went back to the Twin Cities.

At the time, though, players and coaches were not sure whether or not they would be called back to play. That meant Ask had to stay ready in case the season were to resume.

So while at home, Ask got together with some fellow Wayzata baseball players, current and past, multiple times per week to do live at-bats – a great way to keep both pitchers and hitters fresh without having full-on games. In addition, Ask, like many other athletes at the time, decided to focus on one specific aspect of his game to improve: velocity. After going through a Driveline program and doing numerous pulldowns, Ask hit 88 MPH on the radar gun, a new personal best. 

With his velocity and confidence up, all things were pointing in the right direction for Ask in anticipation of the upcoming season. But on one November day, things took a turn for the worse for Ask when he felt a pop in his arm while doing more pulldowns. 

“My elbow had kind of been tight a few weeks leading up to it,” Ask said. “When I felt the pop initially, it felt like my arm kind of loosened up so I did another throw and it was just like shooting pain through my entire arm. Then I kind of knew what it probably was.”

The diagnosis: a partial UCL tear. A common injury with pitchers that tends to happen from overuse. 

Since it was just a partial tear, there was a chance that surgery could be avoided, and that is what Ask tried. But while doing his throwing program with hopes of rehabbing in order to be ready for the season, Ask was still in pain. After reassessing his recovery plan with doctors and trainers in February, it was determined that surgery was the best option.

One month later, Ask underwent primary repair surgery on his elbow and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. He said the first and hardest part that he was unprepared for was having to get his range of motion back. 

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” ✝️✝️ (Proverbs 16:9)

Nothing I’d want more than to be competing with my brothers this spring. But God has a different plan, and I’ll be ready to dominate in 2022!! #GoWolves pic.twitter.com/Uk1SckvuvY

— Blake Ask (@_blakeask) March 10, 2021

“You are stuck in a sling or a cast for two weeks and then when they take that off you can literally only move your arm that far,” Ask said. “It’s like the same feeling as when you lockout your arm. It’s like you just can’t go any further. So, that was a grind. It took about 10 weeks to get my full range of motion back.”

Mentally, it has also been a difficult challenge for Ask. Not only has he had to sit out the entire season with Northern State, but he also has not been able to play ball with his friends and teammates while back in Minnesota for the summer, something he has practically done his entire life. 

Originally, Ask was given a six–month timetable by his doctor, meaning he could be ready to go as soon as mid-September. However, he suffered a few setbacks such as forearm tightness that has pushed his timetable closer to eight months. 

Now back home in Minnesota for the summer, Ask has been going to physical therapy twice a week at Training HAUS at the Minnesota Vikings practice facility in Eagan. He also just began his throwing program two weeks ago and is throwing at 30 feet. 

In the meantime, Ask has stayed involved with baseball being a head coach for a 12U baseball team. Ask says that throughout the process, he has learned to appreciate some of the little things in life.

“One thing it kind of shows is I am not going to be playing baseball forever, so I got to find other things that I can pass my time with and enjoy,” Ask said. “This summer I have been going to my cabin a lot more and fishing with my grandpa and stuff like that. I guess kind of stepping back from the game, I have been able to enjoy other parts of life a lot more.”

If all continues to go well, Ask expects to be ready to go for the 2022 season. And when he does, it will be as a third-year freshman after 2020 not counting towards eligibility and 2021 being a redshirt year. Despite the injury, he still remains optimistic about his future in baseball. 

“My goal is to get drafted,” Ask said. “It is a possibility. There are a lot of people from D2 who get drafted every year so it doesn’t matter if you are D2. If you are good enough, you will get noticed and I still have four more years to get better and get noticed.”

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