Carle Place standout Tommy Schoch faced the possibility of missing his senior baseball season after a shoulder injury during a playoff football game against Lynbrook last fall threatened his future on the mound.
“I was set to make a tackle when I collided with another player using my shoulder. The impact resulted in a dislocated shoulder and a torn labrum,” the 18-year-old, who plays quarterback and cornerback, shared with The Post.
“My immediate concern was whether I’d be able to play baseball again… it’s always been my greatest passion,” he added.
Schoch, whose last name is pronounced “shock,” joined the varsity baseball team as a freshman. His prowess on the mound was evident with 38 strikeouts over 35 innings and a 1.40 ERA in 2025, securing him a place on SUNY Old Westbury’s team for the upcoming college season.
Last year, Schoch was instrumental in leading Carle Place to its first county championship in decades, fueling his determination to return to the baseball field for one final season.
His comeback journey began with winter surgery on his non-throwing arm. From there, it was up to Schoch to put in the work needed to rejoin the Frogs as soon as possible.
“Just a lot of strength training,” he said of routine physical therapy over the past few months.Â
Getting healthy by the March 9 start date was “the thing that kept me motivated through the entire recovery process,” Schoch added.
“I got cleared on March 3, so it was literally the week before baseball started. It was just in time.”
The euphoric news meant as much to Schoch’s teammates as it did to him.
“A lot of them I also played football with, so they were very concerned for me,” he said.
Now the tight-knit crew wants to run it back this spring and bring home more hardware.
“Mainly the goal is to get another county championship,” Schoch said.Â
“Maybe even the Long Island championship. That’s really what I want.”
The NYPD and FDNY hockey teams face off in their 52nd annual event at UBS Arena at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. New York’s Bravest lead the series 31-18-2 and have been on a win streak since 2019.
