Bass Makes The Most Of A Bad Break

Jordan Bass had big plans for the summer.  

The senior from Calabasas High hoped to continue his development during the Valley Invitational Baseball League, but a week before play began, Bass fractured his right hand and was forced to watch from the dugout.  

The prognosis wasn't good - the catcher was expected to be out of the lineup for four to six weeks.  

But the fracture healed much faster than expected and before Bass knew it, he was back in uniform.  

"He is, by far, the toughest player we have, a fierce competitor,'' Calabasas coach Ed Edsall said. "He's a team leader, no doubt about it.''  

VIBL play finished up three weeks ago, but the recovery process for Bass continues. He is in the gym in an attempt to build some much-needed added strength in his injured hand, and throwing drills and frequent trips to the batting cages in between are designed to work on his timing.  

"The doctors told me it would take me a while before I'd be able to get on the field again and I was frustrated,'' Bass said. "I didn't want to come back too soon and hurt myself even more, but not playing wasn't much fun.  

"I was beginning to get antsy. I needed to get back out on the field. Once I learned that I was good to go, nearly 100 percent, it was a no-brainer, I was pushing the coaching staff to give me a chance to show what I could do.''  

When he got the opportunity, Bass delivered.  

In his first game back in the VIBL for the Coyotes in mid-June, he went 2 for 2 with an RBI and a stolen base to help Calabasas defeat host North Hollywood Campbell Hall, 6-4. And he was just getting started. Bass followed with another good game, this time in a key contest against Lake Balboa Birmingham. He reached base in all three of his plate appearances in an 18-1 victory that clinched Calabasas a berth the in VIBL playoffs.  

Bass played in seven of 18 games for Calabasas (8-12) this summer and finished with a .600 batting average and a .667 on base percentage.

"We need Jordan to be 100 percent, he's a big part of what we've done here in the past and what we hope to in the immediate future,'' Edsall said.  

As a junior, he started a majority of the games behind the plate and finished with a .313 batting average in 23 games. More will be expected of him in his senior season, offensively and defensively. Bass will be largely responsible for helping develop a young Coyotes' pitching staff.  

"We know what Jordan can do. He's as smart as they come and we're lucky to have him,'' Calabasas assistant coach Chris Sale said.  

Bass is on schedule for a full recovery by the time official practices begin in the first week of September. Beyond that, winter ball begins in early November in preparation for the regular season in the spring.  

"Everything happens for a reason, just like my injury did this summer,'' Bass said. "Did I want to get injured? No. I wanted to do so many things, but I had to put things on hold for a while. That gave me some time to see things from a different perspective. It gave me time to reflect on how important the game was to me.  

"Adversity makes you stronger, that's what I've learned. I'm going to keep on working non-stop to get healthy. I'm hungry, sitting in the dugout will do that to anyone. All I want to do is come back bigger and stronger than ever.''