Pitchers are at the mercy of their arms and their minds.
When the arm balks, the mind walks. And wonders. And worries.
When the arm works, worry is no longer and ability – and determination – takes over.
And…Good things follow.
Omaha Westside High’s Reid Beberniss wants the ball. The 6-foot-1 inch right-hander has always been a guy who wants to take his turn in the rotation, answer the call, be someone his club can count on.
When medial epicondylitis (pitcher’s/golfer’s elbow), caused by damage to the muscles and tendons controlling your wrist and the fingers found its way to his pitching arm, worry and wonder began to creep into the standout hurler’s mind.
It was then that Beberniss turned to Rock Valley Physical Therapy and Omaha fixture Mike `Sal’ Salerno, Rock Valley’s Clinic Manager, PT, MA, FSOAE, at its 76th & Pacific Street clinic.
“I had treated Reid earlier in his career and had the opportunity to treat his mother,’’ Salerno said of Beberniss, who also pitched for Omaha’s Dynamic Velocity American Legion club, which qualified for the 2024 state finals.
“Great family,” Salerno said. “With Reid, we did ultrasound, cross-friction massage to the medial epicondyle (bone on the upper arm’s humerus bone that is larger and more prominent than the lateral epicondyle), lots of stretching and range-of motion, and eccentric muscle strengthening of his elbow and wrist musculature. Then we did functional Thera-Band strengthening for both eccentrics and concentric strengthening of his shoulder and elbow.’’
Ever-dedicated, Beberniss worked diligently in and out of the Rock Valley clinic to continue competing and making a significant impact for his club. Having Rock Valley and a compassionate, knowledgeable, patient-first therapist like Sal in his corner, was game-changing for the hard-working hurler.
“Last year I was treated for a similar problem with my elbow which needed to be strengthened,” said Beberniss. “This year my elbow was fatigued due to the amount I was throwing, and Sal helped me stay in the game by working on elbow strength and shoulder mobility. I did not really know what to expect when starting physical therapy, but I soon learned that it is extremely helpful. Working with Sal was great. He is kind, relatable and cares about his patients’ well-being. He was always asking about our season and my success as a player.’’
In addition to putting him in a place where he would safely compete, Beberniss said Salerno made it easy to understand every therapy-related step along the way. He also made their time together fun and interesting.
“Sal was able to help me more than I could’ve imagined,” Beberniss said. “When I began seeing him my arm was tired and sore. Then, after a couple of weeks, I had some of my best outings of the summer and felt brand new. I was able to get back to my normal pitch limit and workload by the end of the summer. In the final weeks of the season, I was able to help my team win games because of my work with Sal at Rock Valley. He is a great guy with lots of experience. I looked forward to going in every time and talking about different things like baseball or the Olympics.’’
Beberniss says his goal is to pitch at the highest level his ability allows, and when his playing days are complete, he has designs of giving back to the game as a coach.
I would love to play college baseball if the opportunity presents itself,” he said. “My goal right now is to help bring a state title to Westside next year and create a winning culture. My goal is also to pitch in college and play at the highest level my abilities take me. After college I want to get into coaching. I would love to be able to spread my knowledge of pitching and the game to any level of baseball.’’
Whatever the role, the game is better off with Reid Beberniss in it.
By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Physical Therapy Storyteller