33 months ago, a fresh-faced 18-year-old Kevin Abel was leading the Oregon State Beavers to their third College World Series title ever. It was objectively incredible. He won four games in eleven days in Omaha, Neb., during OSU’s championship run, including a two-hit shutout in the clincher, a 5-nill win over a favored Arkansas Razorback squad.
Abel was on top of the world. His arsenal was devastating. The changeup was nationally revered. He entered his 2019 campaign one of the most feared arms in the country. But after just a few starts and a nagging back injury, Abel shut it down for a couple weeks.