NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- Purdue pitcher Jackson Smeltz was among the recipients of the Thomas A. Brady, MD Comeback Scholarship Award on Thursday evening at Methodist Sports Medicine's Brady Sports Achievement Awards Reception.
Smeltz is the ninth Purdue student-athlete to be recognized with the Brady Comeback Scholarship Award since its inception in 2006. The award honors both male and female student-athletes at the collegiate and high school levels from Indiana who have distinguished themselves by overcoming adversity or injury, and returned and excelled beyond expectations in their respective sport.
Smeltz has overcome multiple surgeries dating back to the age of 13. As an early adolescent, he had surgery to remove a noncancerous brain tumor. After a breakout freshman season in the spring of 2015 at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette, he had Tommy John Surgery in his left elbow. He only pitched briefly again in high school but still contributed as a position player, leading the team in batting average as a sophomore and earning team MVP honors as a junior.
After he finally returned to the mound in February 2020 as a redshirt freshman at Purdue, debuting as a starting pitcher during the season-opening weekend, the season was shut down due to the pandemic. Smeltz had also injured the labrum in his right hip, requiring another surgery. Both the procedure and rehab were delayed by the pandemic.
But Smeltz emerged during the 2021 campaign as a weapon in the Purdue bullpen, recording 22 strikeouts vs. 12 hits allowed in 19 1/3 innings over 13 appearances. He was the winning pitcher in all three of the Boilermakers' walk-off victories and earned a pair of saves while closing out victories vs. Ohio State and Penn State. In Purdue's season-opening win vs. eventual league champion Nebraska, he struck out the side in the first inning.
Meanwhile, Smeltz has overcome it all to excel academically at Purdue. The two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree has compiled a 3.62 grade-point average while majoring in agribusiness. That ranks as the top GPA among the pitching staff. The left-hander also attracted the attention of pro scouts this spring.
"I just love to play the game," Smeltz said in an interview with the Purdue College of Agriculture this spring. "I feel like God gave me these talents for a reason, and just because you are going through a tough time or you hit roadblocks along the way, that doesn't mean you should quit. It means you should keep on going no matter what. My mentality is that I am going to keep on going until someone tells me I can't play anymore and there's not an opportunity left."
"I have never worked with a young man that has overcome as much as Jackson," Kohr says. "He is thought of highly in the eyes of his teammates and coaches. He is the best example of an athlete that has been able to achieve success despite all of the obstacles in his way. Jackson is an incredible person and it has been a privilege to be able to work with him these past three years. I look forward to following his bright future wherever it may lead."
The Methodist Sports Medicine Research & Education Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Methodist Sports Medicine Research, selects the recipients of the Brady Comeback Award. Award winners receive a $1,500 scholarship.
Dr. Thomas A. Brady was the founder of Methodist Sports Medicine and known as the father of sports medicine of Central Indiana. In the early 1960s, he set up a walk-in clinic in the basement of Methodist Hospital where he treated injuries at no charge. The clinic endured until Dr. Brady's unofficial retirement in the 1980s when it became part of Methodist Sports Medicine Center. At the time of his retirement, Dr. Brady was an orthopedic consultant to 22 high schools in Indianapolis as well as the teams at DePauw University and the University of Indianapolis. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 95.
The 2021 Brady Sports Achievement Awards Reception presented by the Physicians Rehab Solution was held at the the Finch Creek Fieldhouse in Noblesville. Smeltz and his family along with Purdue director of player development John Madia and Kohr were all in attendance.
BOILERMAKERS TO RECEIVE THE BRADY COMEBACK AWARD (SINCE 2006)
2021: Jackson Smeltz, Baseball
2019: David Blough, Football
2016: Emily Fogle, Swimming
2014: Liza Clemons, Basketball
2013: Drey Mingo, Basketball
2012: Robbie Hummel, Basketball
2010: Jaycen Taylor, Football
2009: Jodi Howell, Basketball
2006: Brent Coudron, Baseball
Smeltz is the ninth Purdue student-athlete to be recognized with the Brady Comeback Scholarship Award since its inception in 2006. The award honors both male and female student-athletes at the collegiate and high school levels from Indiana who have distinguished themselves by overcoming adversity or injury, and returned and excelled beyond expectations in their respective sport.
Smeltz has overcome multiple surgeries dating back to the age of 13. As an early adolescent, he had surgery to remove a noncancerous brain tumor. After a breakout freshman season in the spring of 2015 at McCutcheon High School in Lafayette, he had Tommy John Surgery in his left elbow. He only pitched briefly again in high school but still contributed as a position player, leading the team in batting average as a sophomore and earning team MVP honors as a junior.
After he finally returned to the mound in February 2020 as a redshirt freshman at Purdue, debuting as a starting pitcher during the season-opening weekend, the season was shut down due to the pandemic. Smeltz had also injured the labrum in his right hip, requiring another surgery. Both the procedure and rehab were delayed by the pandemic.
But Smeltz emerged during the 2021 campaign as a weapon in the Purdue bullpen, recording 22 strikeouts vs. 12 hits allowed in 19 1/3 innings over 13 appearances. He was the winning pitcher in all three of the Boilermakers' walk-off victories and earned a pair of saves while closing out victories vs. Ohio State and Penn State. In Purdue's season-opening win vs. eventual league champion Nebraska, he struck out the side in the first inning.
Meanwhile, Smeltz has overcome it all to excel academically at Purdue. The two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree has compiled a 3.62 grade-point average while majoring in agribusiness. That ranks as the top GPA among the pitching staff. The left-hander also attracted the attention of pro scouts this spring.
"I just love to play the game," Smeltz said in an interview with the Purdue College of Agriculture this spring. "I feel like God gave me these talents for a reason, and just because you are going through a tough time or you hit roadblocks along the way, that doesn't mean you should quit. It means you should keep on going no matter what. My mentality is that I am going to keep on going until someone tells me I can't play anymore and there's not an opportunity left."
Smeltz was nominated for the Brady Award by Purdue baseball's athletic trainer Casey Kohr, who has aided Smeltz in his return to the mound.I coached this kid since he was 9 years old, sat with his family through an 8 hour brain surgery, watched Oklahoma State give up on him due to injuries, watched him fight back from Tommy John, last night was really special for Team Smeltz!
— Justin Christopher Walker "Chris" (@Jcwalker2Justin) March 6, 2021
"I have never worked with a young man that has overcome as much as Jackson," Kohr says. "He is thought of highly in the eyes of his teammates and coaches. He is the best example of an athlete that has been able to achieve success despite all of the obstacles in his way. Jackson is an incredible person and it has been a privilege to be able to work with him these past three years. I look forward to following his bright future wherever it may lead."
The Methodist Sports Medicine Research & Education Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Methodist Sports Medicine Research, selects the recipients of the Brady Comeback Award. Award winners receive a $1,500 scholarship.
Dr. Thomas A. Brady was the founder of Methodist Sports Medicine and known as the father of sports medicine of Central Indiana. In the early 1960s, he set up a walk-in clinic in the basement of Methodist Hospital where he treated injuries at no charge. The clinic endured until Dr. Brady's unofficial retirement in the 1980s when it became part of Methodist Sports Medicine Center. At the time of his retirement, Dr. Brady was an orthopedic consultant to 22 high schools in Indianapolis as well as the teams at DePauw University and the University of Indianapolis. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 95.
The 2021 Brady Sports Achievement Awards Reception presented by the Physicians Rehab Solution was held at the the Finch Creek Fieldhouse in Noblesville. Smeltz and his family along with Purdue director of player development John Madia and Kohr were all in attendance.
BOILERMAKERS TO RECEIVE THE BRADY COMEBACK AWARD (SINCE 2006)
2021: Jackson Smeltz, Baseball
2019: David Blough, Football
2016: Emily Fogle, Swimming
2014: Liza Clemons, Basketball
2013: Drey Mingo, Basketball
2012: Robbie Hummel, Basketball
2010: Jaycen Taylor, Football
2009: Jodi Howell, Basketball
2006: Brent Coudron, Baseball