Youngblood Battles Back From Broken Neck

by • Featured

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Trent Youngblood is lucky he isn’t paralyzed.

The OF/RHP for Transylvania University put up big numbers as a freshman last season as he hit .422 with 12 doubles, 5 triples, 2 homers, 31 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

As a pitcher, he appeared in 8 games and posted a 3-3 record with a 3.37 ERA.

What makes these superb numbers even more astounding is that only a few months prior, he broke his neck one morning as he fell head first into the floor from the top level of a double bunk bed he was sleeping in.

“It was pretty bizarre how I was injured” said Youngblood.

“It happened on Oct. 22 of 2020 and was the morning of finals. I was sleeping in the top of a bunk bed which was at least five feet off the floor. My alarm went off on my phone which was on the desk. So I had to reach pretty far downward to turn it off.

“I lost my balance and slipped off the bed as I fell on my head five feet down on a hard floor. At the moment of impact, I didn’t feel any pain in my neck. But I did feel like I could have had a concussion, and I was a little dizzy and had a headache.

“So I went on with my day and took my finals. I already had to go to the hospital to get an EKG (electrocardiogram) test which shows if your heart is beating at a normal rate and strength.

“While I was there, I decided it would be a wise idea to get an x-ray of my neck because it was a little stiff by now. I ended up being at the hospital for eight hours and finally got the result.

“I had two fractured bones in my neck, and I was shocked. The doctor told me I had broken the C6 vertebra near the base of the neck. I also had ligament damage.”

The C6 vertebra plays an important role in supporting and protecting the structures of the head and neck as well as anchoring the muscles that move and support the neck.

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