The last thing any pitcher wants is to have Tommy John surgery. Seton Hill redshirt junior right-hander Ian Korn takes a different view.
“The surgery probably was the best thing that could have happened in my career so far,” Korn said. “I learned the game from a different perspective, being on the bench and talking to other people. That and strengthening the arm, doing things I was never doing before.
“I learned more about my body and how it moves and how it should be moving out on the mound.”
Korn, a native of York, discovered he needed the surgery toward the end of his sophomore season, and it would be a year before he returned to pitch in a game. In between, Korn built himself up mentally, studying the game and picking the brain of Griffins pitching coach Clay Martin, and physically.
By the time he returned to pitch April 9, 2024, he was a new man. He threw 152⁄3 innings over nine relief appearances the rest of that season, posting an ERA of 1.72, a preview of what was to come.
This season, Korn has been nearly untouchable. Armed with five pitches, including a fastball that added 2-3 mph of velocity and topped out at 95, Korn has become, arguably, the best pitcher in the PSAC.
He wrapped up the regular season with an 9-1 record, 1.34 ERA and an opponent batting average of .181. In 67 1/3 innings, he struck out 70 while yielding only 13 walks and no home runs.
Korn has spun more than his share of gems this season in helping the Griffins go 21-7 (35-13) and earn the top seed in the PSAC West. But his masterpiece was a one-hit, eight-strikeout, no-walk shutout over fellow PSAC West contender Cal (Pa.) on April 12.
He threw only 68 pitches over seven innings.
“I had a few no-hitters, and I had a perfect game when I was younger,” he said, “but doing that in college with only 68 pitches was probably my best outing of my life.”
Longtime Seton Hill coach Marc Marizzaldi said Korn’s ability to command all of his pitches is what sets him apart.
“A lot of pitchers say, ‘Oh, I throw five pitches,’ but, in reality, they can’t command five pitches,” said Marizzaldi, in his 22nd season at Seton Hill. “I think at our level, to be a really good pitcher in college, I think you have to have two pitches that you can command at any time. If a guy has a third pitch, now he’s a legit front-line starter.
“But in Ian’s case, he has four or five, and that’s what makes him special.”
Korn said he draws further motivation from fellow pitcher Jon McCullough. A grad student, McCullough had Tommy John surgery about a year before Korn, so he was able to share his experience with Korn as a way of helping him get back.
Now the two have a friendly competition atop the Griffins rotation. McCullough is 8-3 with a 1.89 ERA.
“Him and I, we like to battle it out a little bit,” Korn said. “But in the long run, it just makes us and the team a lot better.”
Seton Hill has four alumni pitching professionally at the moment. One, Patrick Monteverde, recently earned a call-up with the Miami Marlins. Marizzaldi said that though scouts have been slow to catch on to Korn’s ability, he sees no reason why the righty can’t be the next Griffin playing professionally.
“He has all the indications with his pitch arsenal and his personal makeup and work ethic and all that stuff,” Marizzaldi said. “Seeing what I have seen the last few years from our guys, he absolutely fits that mold, and I think he has a really good future as a pro.”