By Chris Parker
Licking’s 3-1 win over South Callaway in the Class 3 state championship game was the culmination of a historic season.
For one Licking junior starting pitcher, it was the culmination of a trying 11 months that started on the mound last July 10.
Almost 11 months ago, Davis was pitching for his summer ball team at Sky Bacon Stadium in Ozark when he took a line drive off his temple.
“It was awful. It was a parent’s nightmare,” Kellar’s father Jason Davis said. “First, we were told he was in concussion protocol. Then they come in and say they have to operate because he has a brain bleed. They had to cut a piece of his skull out. It was really rough for about 24 hours and then like a miracle he came around and pulled out of it way ahead of schedule.”
While in the hospital, Kellar pondered his baseball future as he was also facing a transfer from Mansfield to Licking.
“I remember being in the hospital bed. I was sitting there in the middle of the night and my dad said ‘son, nobody is ever going to think less of you if you don’t ever get back on the mound’,” Kellar said. “It was right after I started walking the hospital. They didn’t know if I was going to walk. I looked at him and (said) ‘I want to get back on that mound and (I want) to help carry this team this year on the bump. To go out here and carry through with this commitment has been pretty special to me.”
His parents were supportive of his decision to make it back to baseball and the mound.
“We raise our kids to be fighters to be independent. We knew he had it in him. We said if you want to do it, we support you 100%,” Kellar’s mother Tracy Davis said.
Kellar found support from many places including his new team and town.
“The whole town (of Licking) accepted me with open arms. I hadn’t even played a single game with them when my injury happened last year and the whole town just outpoured over me with prayers and support and welcomed me with open arms. It is an amazing community and I think we need more like them. It is a great place to be,” Davis said.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Davis was cleared for baseball activities in mid to late October. He played in some late-season fall games but began his journey back to the mound over the winter.
“We worked through the winter and got him on the mound and let him face some live hitters. That was a concern because post-traumatic stress is a real thing,” Licking Head Coach Harv Antle said. “He had his moments. There was a time during the spring season where he got a liner back through the box and had to take a minute and get off the back of the mound and compose himself. He overcame a lot. Fortunately, God had his hand on him and got him through that experience and he has bounced back better than anybody could expect.”
The recovery was tough for Davis, but his new teammates remained by his side throughout.
“There were days when my mental health was bad, and I didn’t think I could go any longer. These guys just picked me up in every way possible,” Kellar said. “I love every one of them more than they know, and they have done more for me than they will ever be able to comprehend. It has really been a journey this past year.”
Davis put together a strong spring season on the mound with a 5-0 record, 54 strikeouts, and a 0.58 ERA entering the state tournament.
Three days ago, Davis was told he would start Licking’s second game at the state tournament sending him back to the same exact mound where he suffered the injury a little less than a year before.
“He was told three days ago he was going to get this game. He came up to me at home that night and said ‘dad, I don’t know how I am going to feel when I take that mound’,” Jason Davis said.
He got his first experience back on the field in the semifinal, but returning to the Sky Bacon Stadium mound for a state championship game was another big step in his recovery.
“Getting on this mound I could barely do it today. I met with one of my buddies before the game and we prayed about it and cried about it a little bit,” Davis said. “I just had to remember who I support and who I represent. Proverbs 3:5-6 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight’. That has been my motto for the past month and past year. To see Him come through with his promises is pretty amazing.”
Kellar wasn’t the only member of the Davis family feeling anxious prior to the game.
“I would say we were all very anxious going into this. I had a calm about me. We prayed about it a lot. We turned it over to God and I guess that was the calm. That was the peace. We fully believed he could go out there and do it,” Tracy Davis said.
Davis was brilliant for Licking. He threw a complete game, allowing one run while striking out eight as the Wildcats beat South Callaway 3-1 to win the program’s first state title since 1989.
“I couldn’t be prouder. I probably would have never gotten back on the mound after what happened to him,” Jason Davis said. “I am amazed at what he has overcome mentally and physically. He lost 30 pounds throughout his injury and wasn’t able to do anything until mid to late October. He has a lot of fight in him.”
