By Trevor Fitzpatrick

Canadian Baseball Network

Despite an excellent first half of the Western Canadian Baseball League season, right-hander Seth Gurr won’t be attending the All-Star Game at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks on Saturday.

A freak injury has forced him to the sidelines despite his 2.65 ERA on the year.

Gurr (Coldale, Alta.) recently had surgery for a fractured Olecranon bone, the pointy end of the elbow that’s name doesn’t come up very often. Doctors expect him to be sidelined for six months or more.

The 22-year-old appears to be handling it as well as he can though. It’s not his first time undergoing the surgical knife — in fact, this one marks his fourth time under the bright lights of the operating room table.

“I’ve had a fracture on the medial part of my elbow when I was 15, a bone chip, and I fractured my ankle when I was 16,” he said, “You only have one (throwing) arm, so, you have to deal with it. You have no other choice, so that pushes me every day.”

While there’s never a “good,” time to be put on the sidelines with injury, this setback stings even more than the others. It could cost him his fifth-year of college ball eligibility.

A few D1 schools, including the Northern Kentucky Norse, had already reached out to him after four solid seasons. Those were split between the Bossier Parish Community College Cavaliers, a NJCAA Division 1 program, and the NCAA Division II Montevallo Falcons.

Before that, he played for the North Island Royals. Now, Gurr says he’ll probably be forced to seek pro opportunities right away. It’s a shame, as he was dicing up some of the finest talent that the WCBL has to offer on the path to one more college season.

The Okotoks Dawgs are actually his second career summer ball stop – the first being in 2024 with the Traverse City Pit Spitters in the Northwoods League. He described them as both having a similar feel that helped him settle in.

“Both teams were very competitive in very competitive leagues. The energy and atmosphere that Okotoks brought was great, I showed up and felt comfortable right away.”

Focusing on the road ahead, the hurler says he’ll be watching lots of film while he’s shut down to improve upon his four-pitch mix that includes a fastball, sinker, slurve, and splitter.

The fastball and splitter have been staples — dating back as far as his time with the North Island Royals — but the sinker and slurve are both newer additions.

The slurve was born after Gurr noticed he wasn’t getting the swing-and-miss he was looking for from his old curve ball. His arm slot made it tough to get a good bite on a slider as well.

A change in grip led to the slurve which has already made some same-handed hitters look silly with its horizontal movement.

“My pitching coach with the Nanaimo NightOwls, (and former Oakland Athletic in 1983-84) Gorman Heimueller showed me how to throw it,” recalled Gurr, “He basically said to put a knuckle on top of the ball. It’s been lights out since then.”

Gurr may mix in his cutter when he returns as well. It’s a pitch that he’s been working on in the lab at Montevallo alongside the sinker, but in his own words, he still has some more work to do on it.

While the challenges that lie ahead for Gurr’s estimated January return will be big, he’s sticking to his faith, and trusting that he can continue to adapt to whatever may come.

“My Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, has helped me through so much. Honestly, I give all of my development, growth, and performance to him. I’ve come a long way from the Parksville Royals for sure, but I have to give it up to head coach Frank Kaluzniak as well. He did a fantastic job shaping me up for college.”