More heart than lungs: Luther baseball pitcher Nick Dufoe makes most of final season after surgery to repair collapsed lung

CEDAR RAPIDS — Nick Dufoe possesses too much heart to be denied by his lungs.

After battling through a partially collapsed lung two years ago and having the same issue end last season, the Luther right-handed starter underwent invasive surgery.

Dufoe has returned to the mound with added appreciation.

“It’s always special every time I get to step on that mound and play with my guys,” Dufoe said. “From what I’ve learned in my career, there’s never a guarantee you’ll get back out there.”

The comeback hasn’t always been smooth, but recent results have been better, including his latest start. Dufoe pitched his first complete game of the season, helping Luther to a 4-1 victory in the opener of an American Rivers Conference doubleheader sweep Wednesday against Coe at Bill Quinby Field of Daniels Park. The Norse won the nightcap, 6-3.

“It’s finally happening for me again,” Dufoe said. “It feels really good. Lots of hard work is paying off. It feels really nice.”

The journey began late in Dufoe’s junior season when he experienced chest discomfort entering the conference tournament. He battled through the pain, getting the win over Coe in the championship game and leading Luther to an NCAA tournament berth. All without knowing he had a partially collapsed lung.

Lingering issues hampered his ability to pitch last season, causing him to get surgery to repair the lung at the end of May.

“It was a pretty major deal,” Dufoe said. “It was pretty painful to say the least.”

Luther Coach Bryan Nikkel recalled visiting Dufoe, who had trouble getting around his house. Nikkel never doubted that the fifth-year senior would be back on the mound.

“He’s been on the road back since June,” Nikkel said. “It means a lot to see him being able to do that. There’s nobody more of a fierce competitor than Nick Dufoe. There was no stopping him. He was going to get back on that hill and throw.

“No looking back for him. It took a lot of heart.”

Dufoe progressed from just being able to move around to throwing a baseball by the end of August. He had to continue to work, throwing off a mound during the winter and facing live batters Jan. 29.

“About the two-month mark, I started to see some improvement,” Dufoe said. “It’s kind of been up and down, like with any surgery. There are good times and bad times, but the last month I’ve been feeling tons better. The nerve pain has been better.”

Dufoe improved to 3-1 this season, allowing one unearned run, scattering seven hits while walking just one. A vast improvement from his earlier numbers, entering the game with an earned-run average in double-digits with opponents batting higher than .300 against him. Nikkel said stats don’t indicate his ability.

“His last two starts have been really good,” Nikkel said. “Conditions were really tough and his ball was running a lot. Coe, obviously, has a good lineup, so it was a big-time performance to go all nine (innings) against those guys.”

Dufoe was able to use his two-seam fastball and sinker to keep Coe (11-9, 3-5) from barreling up on the ball. The conditions enhanced his movement on pitches, tallying six strikeouts. Only one Kohawk reached third base. The Norse defense helped with inning-ending double plays in the eighth and ninth innings.

Aiden Michna had a two-run double in the fifth and Josh Matanich had a run-scoring single in the first. Charlie Rubendall scored twice for the Norse, who improved to 14-8 overall and lead the American Rivers Conference at 7-0.

“I kind of went out there and attacked guys early in the count,” Dufoe said. “I tried to get ahead. I relied on my defense back there and they played great for me. We got some good swings on the ball and some runs, so that’s all you can ask for.”