Tornow a college player, high school coach

WELLMAN — Brad Tornow has been an integral part of most athletics at Mid-Prairie High School in his time as a Golden Hawk.

Graduation in 2020 hasn't changed that much. He still is in the dugout for the Mid-Prairie baseball team this summer.

As a coach.

The left-hander had an arm injury that prevented him from pitching in the state tournament last season.

An accountant, that's the goal in choosing his accounting major. He went to Northwestern to college and continued rehabbing the injury to the point that he was able to see a little bit of action on the diamond. He pitched five innings of varsity and five junior varsity.

Northwestern competes as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) within the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The Red Raiders were 19-27 in the 2021 season, seventh at 12-16 in the GPAC.

During the winter break from school, Tornow spent time getting certified as a coach.

He finished rehab just in time for the team's trip to Minnesota to play at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"I felt it was just past time for me to be recovered and get back on the mound," Tornow said. "They told me they did not expect me to pitch at all, so for me to throw in five innings was a big thing, for them and for me."

There was a lot to deal with in college. There were differences in throwing off the mound, getting comfortable with being a part of a new team, a new atmosphere and other people were all things he had to adapt to and learn about while recovering from an injury.

The college wanted Tornow to focus on pitching because that was what he was going to be used for, that's where he would be effective for the Red Raiders. His pitching is what got him recruited to that school so that is what the focus was on.

“Biggest difference from college to high school was the competition,” Tornow said. “The guys that get scholarships are not the eight and nine batters you see in high school. Now those eight and nine batters were the top batters on their high school team. The competition is so improved it you have to compete through the whole lineup. You can't lay off a couple plays.”

Practices were at least 2½ to 3 hours on the slowest, shortest day of practice. Lifting days are even more longer.

“We have a really nice indoor facility, so we're lucky that way because it snows a lot up there, and it's very cold in the winter,” Tornow said. “We're very lucky that we are able to spend time in the indoor facility.

Colleges in the north like to take spring break trips and play against competition in the south. Northwestern took that to another level by stopping and playing at places during the trip south.

“Our coach didn't want to waste any time so we played ballgames as we travel,” Tornow said. Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma were states with stops to play.

“It wasn't a matter of stopping for a bathroom break, it was stopping for a game break. We would get to the hotel at midnight, be up at seven, go play a doubleheader, drive hours after that, get to the hotel late, do it all over again.”

Tornow finished his first year of college May 8 and was back to Wellman by May 10, then the next week he was able to jump in on practices. His main role has been as the freshman/sophomore head coach.

He was able to get certified for coaching over the Christmas vacation from college.

"I basically didn't have a winter break because I did that," Tornow said. He took advantage of a program through Kirkwood online, and it was a lot to take in. “I have an added amount of respect for coaches after completing that.”

Coaching certification is an involved process. It was six courses with 10 or 11 lessons each, and he had to have a taping course, then be certified for that. “You have to be able to wrap a wrist and an ankle.”

So coaching has a part of Tornow future but whether it is full-time or part-time is “something I thought about because in high school I thought that's what I wanted to do. But then I thought about how much time it would actually involve so this will be a good way to judge that for the future.”

Going back to the school he just played for, there could be the urge to throw the uniform on and step in the batter’s box.

“Yeah, it's definitely some awkward moments,” Tornow said. “Why am I standing here while they're playing out there? I have had those feelings, and it is weird, but definitely get those moments.”