PENDLETON—The high school athletic career of Matt Vetor has come to a premature end: His 2017 baseball season was cut short after 18 games because of blood clots in his chest.
But with a positive prognosis and plenty of experience rehabbing injuries, the Arabian senior is confident his playing career is not over.
Vetor has signed to continue his education and baseball career with the Panthers of Hanover College in the fall.
As the team’s starting third baseman, Vetor hit .260 this season, with 12 runs scored and two doubles while compiling a steady .902 fielding percentage at the hot corner.
But Arabian head coach Travis Keesling said Vetor’s versatility is one of his greatest strengths.
“He can play just about any position you put him at,” Keesling said. “He’s going to be a very versatile player for Hanover. He’s got a little pop, he can hit a little bit, but the overall toughness that he is going to bring to their team will be infectious.”
Vetor said he is excited to head to southern Indiana to continue playing baseball.
“It hasn’t really felt real yet,” he said. “It’s just exciting. I’ve wanted to play since I was little, and I get to play at the next level. I just can’t wait. Especially with the way high school has ended, I’m just real eager.”
The first symptoms of his current injury did not seem very serious at first.
“It was just a lot of tightness in my arm and chest,” he said. “But my arm turned purple when I was lifting weights, which I thought was odd. That happened on a Friday, and I played on Monday with some pain. But that was the first sign.”
The injury is just the latest in a career marred by pain for Vetor, who has also had UCL replacement (Tommy John) surgery, broken bones in his back, and multiple concussions. His ability to come back from injury gives him confidence he will be ready to play at Hanover.
“Tommy John surgery was tough,” he said. “The time I had to take off and not being able to throw, but I saw the rehab for this, and it’s going to be cake. The Mets’ pitcher (Jeurys Familia) is expected to be back pitching in three months, so I know I can do it.”
And, perhaps not coincidentally, Vetor, who also played football at Pendleton Heights, is planning to study physical therapy at Hanover.
“I was already interested in finding a way to work with athletes,” he said. “But after going through what I’ve gone through, and meeting the people that have made a difference in my life through physical therapy, it’s definitely interesting to me.”
