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Jace LaViolette comments on playing through fractured hand in SEC Tournament
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Jace LaViolette was seen in the Texas A&M dugout on Thursday with his left hand in a cast and a splint around his ring finger. Some time between the end of the Aggies’ 3-2 win over Auburn on Thursday and the start of Friday’s game against LSU, LaViolette reportedly had surgery on his hand and had a pin inserted.
According to reports, LaViolette was told he couldn’t exacerbate the injury, so if he wanted to play, it would depend on his pain tolerance.
He was in the lineup for A&M when Friday’s game began. And he told the Austin Statesman’s Tony Catalina in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t about to miss any time.
“I’d run through a brick wall,” he said, per Catalina.
A&M head coach Michael Early confirmed Thursday night that LaViolette fractured a bone in his left hand when he was hit by a pitch in the game against Auburn. The Aggies’ all-time home runs leader was said to be out for the remainder of the SEC Tournament.
But with the Aggies fighting to extend their season, LaViolette filled the DH spot and slotted third into the lineup.
LaViolette went without a hit on Thursday. He struck out looking in his first plate appearance on Friday. But he cranked a grand slam in the 9-0 win over Mississippi State on Wednesday to record his 18th home run of the season. He is 2 home runs away from becoming just the eighth Division I player all-time to hit 20 home runs in 3 different seasons.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
