Wolf Pack Pitcher Dylan Gregoire didn’t understand the severity of his accident until he saw his parents’ reaction in the hospital.

“I had never seen my dad cry,” the biological sciences junior said. “When I saw him cry, I saw what was really going on and that put things in perspective.”

What Gregoire’s parents were reacting to was the aftermath of a car wreck that severely injured his back and shoulder. The injuries will postpone his debut on the mound until next season.

Since his car accident in December, Gregoire has been going through rehabilitation with the hopes of pitching in 2015.

Gregoire, who was cleared to participate in practice on March 18, said the recovery is still a slow one.

“It’s not really the days that you look at, I feel like its the weeks,” he said. “As each week goes by, I feel a progression.”

The pitcher added that until he was able to throw a baseball, the only throwing he did was throwing paper in to the trash can in his room.

However, despite having a metal plate put in his shoulder in surgery, Gregoire said that he is able to move without any discomfort.

“As of right now, there is no issue or pain,” he said. “I almost feel like I’m back to normal. I’m just trying to build that strength up.”

Gregoire’s off-season injury also forced Head Coach Doug Faust to make adjustments to his line up. Faust said that even though Gregoire was supposed to be one of the main starters in the pitching rotation, other pitchers have had to step up in his absence.

“Everybody had to move up a notch, whether it be a reviler becoming a starter, or a reviler becoming a more important reviler,” Faust said. “Everyone had to do more than what was expected of them before.”

Faust also said he’s been pleased with what his pitchers have done since their roles have changed. The Pack has a team earned run average of 3.04 including seven shut outs.

Despite their success on the mound this season, Faust said it hasn’t been easy compensating for the loss of one their starting pitchers.

“Everyone’s been doing their job but we’re missing a big part of it with Dylan out injured,” Faust said.

Gregoire also said he thinks the increased responsibility that some of the younger pitchers have had to take on will help them be stronger on the mound when he returns to the mound next season.

Even though he’s now able to practice with the team and can do most workouts without pain, Gregoire said his experience has given him a new appreciation for his teammates.

“It taught me to appreciate the small things,” he said. “These guys out here, I kind of consider them my second family. They showed me a lot of love and compassion. I just want to give it back to them the best I can.”

Hasani Grayson can be contacted at [email protected].