High school baseball player who had emergency brain surgery after getting hit with pitch headed home

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Gwinnett County teen who was hit in the head by a baseball during practice is recovering after the accident sent him to the hospital for emergency brain surgery.

Channel 2′s Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson was at Mill Creek High School Wednesday, where he spoke to Luke Stonecypher’s parents.

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The 17-year-old has been recovering for weeks after doctors initially told his parents he may not survive after he was hit in the head with a baseball at around 90 miles an hour earlier this month.

His mother, Heather Stonecypher, said they were told to prepare for the worst, that he may not survive surgery.

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“We did not know what the outcome would be. They told us that if he came through the surgery, he may not be able to talk again,” she said. “I told the doctor, I said, ‘I believe in miracles, and this kid right here is going to be your miracle.’”

Her son is now walking, talking and hoping to play baseball again. The junior and catcher for the school baseball team was preparing for a pitching lesson with friends on Dec. 7 at a training facility off campus. That’s when he said he didn’t see a pitch coming that hit him right in the temple.

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“Boom, they threw a change-up at hit right there, then just kind of hurt,” Luke Stonecypher said.

He said he didn’t think anything of the hit to the head until after he drove home and later his mom noticed swelling on the side of his head and called 911.

“He didn’t know his name. He didn’t know his birthday. It was it was chaos,” she said.

Doctors prepared him for emergency surgery to remove a blood clot and control the bleeding to his brain.

Three weeks later, he’s recovering at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta making progress that his mom says continues to amaze his doctors

“This is just truly incredible that he’s gone this far this fast,” she said.

With the support of coaches, friends and the community, Luke said he’s getting stronger every day and doesn’t plan to let anything slow him down.

“If you have a bad day, it’s okay. What are you doing tomorrow? You got to do as best you can,” he said.

Luke is getting discharged for the Shepherd Center tomorrow and headed home for the first time since the accident. He has plenty of physical therapy ahead still and he hopes to play again or maybe even coach, but right now, it’s one day at a time.

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