Betts: Long list of injuries couldn’t steal Lumley’s love of the game

London Badgers and Junior National Team grad Carson Lumley (London, Ont.) was sidelined by a serious of injuries during his collegiate career at Bowling Green State University, but that hasn’t dampened his love for the game of baseball. Photo: Instagram

November 10, 2026

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

Carson Lumley thought he had his whole career ahead of him.

The hard-throwing right-hander was catching people’s attention with his two-way talent in high school with the London Badgers.

But, after experiencing issues with his elbow during his Grade 11 year, it was discovered he needed to go under the knife for Tommy John surgery. A disappointment and setback, but a procedure that rarely results in limiting a player’s trajectory outside the initial rehab time.

It didn’t take long for Lumley (London, Ont.) to get his career back on track when he returned, either, as he earned an invite to play for the Junior National Team the following spring.

A commitment to Bowling Green State University followed, a logical next step for any high schooler with eyes on professional baseball.

Everything was going to plan, until he got on the field during his freshman year.

“I was dealing with a little bit of shoulder stuff right away,” Lumley said. “I felt decent in the fall. Spring came around, felt good. I started dealing with some shoulder stuff again and I got to a point where they shut me down.”

Then, during the summer while rehabbing and playing in a local league, he dove for a ball in the outfield, landing on his shoulder.

“Right away, I threw the ball home and felt okay” Lumley said. “As the days went on, I couldn’t throw a ball anymore. I got it checked out and the doctor told me I had a torn labrum, rotator cuff, dislocated shoulder and cartilage issues. That took me out for about a full year.”

Just like that, his sophomore season was over before it started.

Fast forward to the following summer, Lumley was on the mound again feeling good ahead of his junior year. Back on campus, he impressed the Falcons coaching staff through the fall and early new year working two to three innings at a time.

Certainly this was the opportunity he was waiting for, a healthy season to finally show his coaches and scouts what he was capable of.

“I started feeling some pain in my back,” he said. “I had to get an MRI for it and I had a stress fracture. Originally I was told it could be six to eight weeks, or it could be the entire season.”

It was the entire season.

Lumley credits the BGSU coaches for sticking with him, recognizing both the heartache and work he was putting in to get back on the field and live up to the potential they all saw.

The positive was his arm had time to heal while he took care of his back. It resulted in him getting up to 95 miles per hour with his fastball.

A clean fall and preseason led to him making an appearance at Georgia Tech last February.

“My second batter I felt a little pop in my shoulder,” Lumley said. “I got an MRI on it and they told me I had a torn labrum. That was my college career.”

Over four years, he threw 2/3 of an inning.

No one would have blamed him if he put the game behind him. All the dedication and hard work for such a cruel result would’ve been too much to handle for many.

Not Lumley, though.

“It was tough for sure, dealing with injury after injury and every single rehab I worked extremely hard,” he said. “Every one was mentally pretty tough. It was tough to deal with but it really showed me a lot about myself and how I dealt with adversity.”

Now, he’s trying to impart that wisdom on the next generation of Canadian high school players as a coach with the Badgers.

Sitting in the dugout or stands isn’t where any college player wants to be, but it too had its benefits as he now embarks on his coaching career.

“I’ve seen a lot,” he said. “The last four years I had a lot of time to observe and see what’s going on. It helped me pick things up, observing plays. The mental side, too, I think I bring a lot to the table.”

Despite all the injuries, Lumley still hasn’t completely closed the door on getting back on the field as a player. Fully healed, he’s been throwing and feeling good, but is okay with letting the future play out as it will.

Regardless of what his career holds, he’s now equipped with a new perspective and story he’s happy to share.

“Everything happens for a reason, everything happens how it’s supposed to,” he said. “Don’t look at the future too much, be where your heads at. Worry about the task at hand. I don’t know yet what my future holds, but I know baseball is going to be a part of it.”