The nickname started out as “Grandpa.” It has evolved into “Grand-Craw.” Because if you can incorporate someone’s real name into a nickname, you absolutely should.
“Grand-Craw” is senior pitcher Tyler Crawford, 23, the elder statesman of the Arizona Wildcats baseball team. He is the only player left from Arizona’s 2012 national-championship squad — the only one with any NCAA postseason experience, for that matter.
Crawford embraces the nickname — he even incorporated it into his Twitter handle, @grandcrawther30 — and enjoys the jokes because he can. Crawford is healthy and ready to contribute to the cause again, and it has been a while since that was the case.
The left-hander from Glendale missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He wasn’t right for most of the previous season because of a stomach ailment. He didn’t enjoy sitting and watching.
“I missed competing at a high level, I can tell you that,” Crawford said before practice Tuesday. “It was tough to watch the team, especially in 2014, the state it was in. We were really struggling. We could not turn it around. And then last year to see that really hot start and us kind of trail off, it was extremely frustrating to not be able to help the team.
“I’m really excited to get back out there this year. I can’t wait.”
First-year coach Jay Johnson, whose team opens the season at Rice on Feb. 19, has big plans for Crawford. Johnson envisions Crawford as the “ultimate utility pitcher” — a valuable, versatile member of the staff who can pitch in middle relief, get out left-handed batters and possibly serve as a spot starter.
That was basically the role Crawford played as a freshman, when he had a 3.05 ERA, including 4⅓ effective innings in the postseason. He became a regular member of the rotation in 2013, going 7-2 with a 3.83 ERA.
But shortly before the start of the 2014 season, Crawford went out to dinner with his mother, ate some bad shrimp and caught what he described as a “violent case of food poisoning, which led to this mystery stomach virus.” It turned out to be gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining. Crawford, who is listed at 6 feet 1 inch, 206 pounds, lost about 30 pounds in about 2½ weeks.
“Basically, I couldn’t keep anything down,” he said. “I was trying to pitch through that, and I wasn’t able to do it, unfortunately.”
Crawford struggled to a 1-3 record and a 10.64 ERA in 22 innings. Then, in summer, more misfortune struck.
About a week before school was set to start, Crawford was back home playing long toss in preparation for fall ball. He threw a ball, “and something just didn’t feel right,” he said. Within four days, Crawford was scheduled for major elbow surgery.
About 18 months later, his arm feels great. He hasn’t had any setbacks. He has avoided seafood. Crawford is fully prepared for what Johnson called “the final hurdle” in an up-and-down college career.
“He’s had some … personal adversity,” Johnson said. “To still be going, still be here, trying to persevere and finish his Arizona career right is a good example for our younger players.
“No matter how much we want it to, it doesn’t go right all the time in baseball. Dealing with adversity is going to be key for our team to be successful.”
