John Scarr returns from surgery, plays first home game for Lehigh baseball team

Junior catcher John Scarr stands behind home plate in a game against New York Institute of Technology on Tuesday, March 23, 2016, at Legacy Park. This was Scarr’s first home game since returning from his surgery. (Austin Vitelli/B&W Staff)

It’s been four months since Lehigh junior catcher John Scarr stepped out on his home field to sit behind the plate and play with his team.

Back in November 2015, Scarr tore his pectoral tendon lifting weights during practice and had to have surgery to repair it. He hadn’t been back at Legacy Park since.

That is, until Tuesday.

Scarr played in his first post-surgery home game against New York Institute of Technology, which the Mountain Hawks won 10-5. Although he was able to play in games over spring break, when the team took a trip down to Florida to play, he hasn’t played at home since November.

“I was really excited to come out and play at home,” Scarr said. “I’m just trying to make sure I do my job behind the plate, make sure the game goes smoothly, and I just wanted to stay relaxed and keep Sam (Ashey) relaxed and keep the game going.”

It has been over three months since Scarr had his surgery. He has worked since the operation to rehabilitate his pectoral tendon and get back on the playing field.

“My doctor did a great job with the surgery,” Scarr said. “He really helped me through everything, especially making sure my rehab was going well.”

By working hard and staying on top of his rehabilitation, Scarr was able to come back to play four weeks earlier than his doctor had originally expected.

Not only does Scarr say he is excited to be back behind the plate, but his teammates and his coach said they are happy to have him back as well.

“The guys just seem so excited to have his presence back on the field,” coach Sean Leary said. “The last few games we’ve played have been our best games, and I think that has a lot to do with having him back there.”

Leary said Scarr is such an asset to the team in the way that he keeps not only himself composed, but also the pitchers, creating a consistent tempo and keeping a rhythm with them. He said everyone is excited to have him back knowing of the effort he has put in.

Although he is healing smoothly, Scarr is still not cleared to play completely. He is at a four-inning limit for the next few weeks but expects to be back fully by the time Patriot League play begins.

Scarr said he has no intention of letting his surgery stop him from competing at his highest potential, and he will continue to work hard to heal himself completely.

“It definitely set me back a little bit,” Scarr said. “But jumping right back in there I feel comfortable right now, and I’m just going to keep going forward and get back to where I was before.”