Junior infielder Randy Righter has stood out in his collegiate career with the Falcons baseball team, however, it has not been without adversity.
The West Bloomfield, Michigan native broke his thumb roughly halfway through last season and has also battled a knee injury from his freshman year, causing him to not only miss the remainder of the season, but the offseason training as well.
“It was tough,” Righter said. “It was a lot of rehab. I wasn’t able to play this past summer, but I feel like I’m back stronger from it, so I’ve had a good fall and a good start to the season. The rehab’s helped a lot, and my knee and my thumb feel good.”
Righter made his presence known again in the season opener against the Texas A&M Aggies, going 4 for 4 at the plate against a Texas A&M team that was ranked 20th in the country at the time. Although the Falcons would go on to be swept in the series, Righter feels that it helped him get a solid foundation to start the season.
“I just prepared well for them,” Righter said. “I had seen that type of pitching before, so I came in prepared for it, and it was a tough weekend for the team, but I had a pretty good weekend that way.”
Righter started playing baseball at a young age due to his father’s interest in the game, which was also transferred to him over time.
“I started when I was a kid,” Righter said. “My dad kind of brought me up on it; he was a big baseball fan, so he introduced me to it when I was seven or eight, and I’ve been playing ever since.”
Righter originally came to play for the Falcons because of the opportunity to get more playing time, and therefore gather valuable experience as a freshman.
“It’s a great program and it’s a great opportunity for me as a player,” Righter said. “(It was important) to come here and get to play right away.”
Righter also feels that, although he has been satisfied with the way the season has begun for him, there is still plenty of room to improve and is hopeful to have it translate into more wins down the road.
“It’s been a pretty good start so far,” Righter said. “I started off well; slowed down a little bit this past weekend, but I’m hoping to pick it up. We’ve been doing some good work (in practice), so I think we can get it going.”
