“All I remember is looking up, and my toes were touching my kneecap.”
Campbellsville University outfielder Brock Brubaker can still picture that moment in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as vividly as if it happened yesterday. On Feb. 2, 2024, during a road game against nationally ranked William Carey, a routine slide into second base became anything but routine. In an instant, his season—and possibly his career—changed forever.
“I remember the shortstop and second baseman both putting their hands on their heads and looking away,” Brubaker said. “That’s when I knew it wasn’t good.”
As the adrenaline wore off and an ambulance rolled across the field, Brubaker looked up at his coach.
“Well, thank you for giving me the opportunity,” Brubaker said.
Campbellsville University Head Coach Beauford Sanders, who has spent more than three decades in the dugout, said the injury is one he’ll never forget.
“I looked down and saw his ankle and toes totally inverted,” Sanders said. “If not the worst injury I’ve seen, it was certainly in the top two or three.”
From the dugout, pitcher Tristin Crusenberry had just sat down between innings when a teammate leaned over and told him what happened.
“Someone said he broke his leg,” Crusenberry said. “I sprinted out there, saw his foot in the opposite direction, and dropped to my knees. I put my hand on his chest and told him, ‘You’re going to be all right.’”
Minutes later, Crusenberry had to return to the mound with the image of his best friend’s injury still fresh in his mind. He gave up three runs in the fourth inning, his focus shaken, but then something shifted. Pitch after pitch, he locked in. By the end of the game, he had thrown five or six strong innings, racked up double-digit strikeouts, and even touched 92 mph—fueling himself with one thought: “This is for Brock.”
Former Campbellsville University athletic trainer Elly Wright was also at Brubaker’s side that day. From a distance, she thought it was just an awkward slide. But as she ran closer, the reality hit.
“My stomach honestly just dropped once I saw his ankle,” Wright said. “It really took one look to know that this was a serious situation and that he would need to be immobilized and taken to the hospital.”
Wright would continue to work with Brubaker throughout his long rehabilitation. She said his persistence stood out as much as his resilience.
“He was very determined, and he was always sure that he would be ok,” Wright said. “Especially in the beginning, when so much was still unknown and as we were still figuring out all the damage in his ankle, he was always just very calm and certain that he was going to make a full recovery. I think that was due to his faith.”
That faith had taken root just weeks before when Crusenberry baptized him. For Brubaker, it became the anchor he leaned on throughout recovery.
“The only thing I can really do is thank God for this opportunity,” Brubaker said. “I’m blessed to be in this position where I have other people trying to help me while I am injured.”
The very next day, with his leg in a cast, Brubaker showed up at the ballpark to support his teammates in the tournament. Despite the pain and uncertainty about his future, he refused to let the setback keep him from being with his team.
The road back, however, was grueling. Brubaker faced months of frustration—small gains followed by setbacks, and the constant fear of reinjury.
“There were months of feeling like I’d take one step forward and two steps back,” Brubaker said.
Nevertheless, he would constantly remind himself, “I’m blessed to be here, no matter what happens.”
Brubaker’s breakthrough came the following season in a tense game against Bethel. In the ninth inning, with the team down by two runs and only one out left, Coach Sanders called on him to pinch-hit. Brubaker rose to the moment, sending the ball over the center field fence for a thrilling home run.
“That’s when he found himself again,” Crusenberry said, smiling. From there, he continued to rebuild. “So yeah, I’m really proud of him.”
Now a senior, Brubaker sees the injury not so much as a setback but as a turning point.
“Baseball teaches you failure,” Brubaker said. “If you succeed one out of three times, you’re a Hall of Famer. I’ve learned it’s not about what happens to you—it’s about how you respond. I’m just blessed to still be here, still playing, still growing.”
Coach Sanders agreed.
“He’s learned you can’t take anything for granted,” Sanders said. “He’s developed more mental toughness, and that’s going to carry him not just in baseball, but in life.”
What began as a devastating injury became something far greater—a story of resilience, faith and perspective. For Brubaker, it will always be remembered as a blessing in disguise.
