Joe Hanson, a junior pitcher and outfielder from Bayshore, Long Island, has suffered a series of injuries that have kept him off the field.
Playing baseball his entire life, the sport has become second nature to Hanson, making it hard for him to adjust to being a spectator. Even in the off-season, Hanson typically spends lots of time in the gym trying to build muscle for the season as well as for aesthetic purposes.
After partially tearing his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right arm during the 2025 season, the pitcher underwent a partial UCL reconstruction surgery in July 2025. The expected recovery timeline typically ranges from eight to ten months. This was very heartbreaking for Hanson.
“I was so scared that I wouldn’t be able to reach where I was. I’m about to be a senior, and all I wanted was to be on the mound with my boys,” Hanson said.
Now, almost a year has passed since surgery; he has reached full recovery. However, he has learned that the healed injury is never fully one hundred percent.
“There’s still fatigue,” Hanson said. “It’s not like you just come back and everything feels the same again.”
Earlier in March 2025, during baseball activity, he sustained another serious injury, this time to his left hip. What initially began as pain turned into something more severe: a torn labrum. After months of playing through discomfort, he eventually underwent surgery in March 2026.
This procedure required surgeons to reconstruct the labrum and shave his hip bone to fix the bone for stability and address the tear. This time, recovery was estimated to be five months. However, for an injury as severe as this one, this was more unpredictable than the last.
The hip injury has been more difficult for Hanson to recover from.
“My leg hurts like a bitch,” he said. “I’m doing physical therapy for it, but it’s definitely been the hardest one.”
Rehabbing two major injuries at once has significantly impacted Hanson’s daily routine and mentality, making it hard to stay motivated. His teammates have been a huge help in keeping him positive throughout this.
Joe said Eddie Barnaowski, third baseman on the team from Somers, New York, has been a huge help throughout his recovery. Eddie has spent time with Joe, distracting him from his injury and making him feel some semblance of normalcy. He urges Joe to come to games and sits on the sidelines with him between innings.
“I just want him to still feel a part of the team,” said Baranowski. “I know how important baseball and this team have been to me, and I want him to have that even if he can’t have it all right now.”
Jacob Schneider, second baseman from Mount Sinai, New York, has also been a huge help to Hanson, driving him to doctors’ appointments and taking him out for meals when he feels unwell.
“I never want him to think just because he’s not active, we don’t care,” Schneider said. I will always show up for him;he’s become my brother.”
Hanson is extremely grateful for the help and care he has received from his teammates and stresses the importance of having teammates who become brothers.
Joe Hanson with his teammates Jacob Schneider, Jacob Cotto, and Eddie Baranowski at their formal
“I truly don’t know what I would’ve done without my friends, they held me together when I couldn’t manage it by myself,” Hanson said. “I will forever be grateful for them, and I don’t know if I could’ve gotten on the other side of this injury if it weren’t for them.
While Hanson’s hip injury remains a daily obstacle, he aims for a return in the upcoming 2027 fall season. His support from his teammates has encouraged him throughout his recovery and shown how important brotherhood is in the sport.