Brunswick grad Gary Clift Jr.'s odyssey ends with him starring for Youngstown State

Youngstown State closer Gary Clift Jr.'s journey has been unique, but the redshirt senior feels like he is right where he is supposed to be. The fact that his six-year odyssey has overcome a transfer, Tommy John surgery and a pandemic just makes Clift relish his final collegiate opportunity even more. "I'm really glad to be here for one more year," Clift said. "I'm really glad that the coaches trust me in the role that I'm in, because I enjoy closing games out for this team. "Everything worked itself out here, and I'm really blessed for that." The 2015 Brunswick graduate's collegiate story began in Ypsilanti, Mich., where he made three appearances as a freshman for Eastern Michigan. The fit with the Eagles did not feel right to Clift, which led to a transfer to Youngstown State. Fast forward to this spring and the 6-foot-2, 195-pounder has grown into a reliable lockdown arm for the Penguins (16-15, 11-9). Clift's six saves this season are tied for 15th in Division I and lead the Horizon League. One save ahead of Clift is an eight-way tie for seventh in the nation. "It's been an absolute blessing (transferring to Youngstown State)," Clift said. "The coaches and players I've gotten to know, the administration, media department, everyone that's a part of Youngstown State are just awesome people." Getting to this point was no easy task for the 2015 Gazette Male Athlete of the Year. After transferring to the Penguins, Clift was forced to redshirt the 2017 season due to NCAA rules. Then, in the first inning of his first appearance, Clift tore his ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and needed Tommy John surgery. "It was tough to sit out that first year (because of transfer rules), and the very first game I have back I tear my UCL," Clift said. "I could have folded, packed it in and realized this wasn't for me, but I knew that wasn't the case and stuck with the plan in terms of getting me back to playing." Clift attacked the injury, subsequent surgery and rehabilitation like he was facing a hitter with the bases loaded and two outs in the ninth inning of a one-run game. Repeatedly, he made the four-hour trek to Cincinnati where the operation was done to check on his progress. Clift was back on the mound the next season, albeit in a limited role with a pitch count. Clift made eight appearances, including three starts, while throwing eight innings and compiling a 1.13 ERA. "It's mentally draining sometimes, because guys are talking about practices and games and you're rehabbing every day," Clift said. "You've got to keep a positive mindset that you're doing for a reason and when I came back and pitched in that first game, I realized all that hard work wasn't for nothing." Last spring, Clift was given the full-time closer role as Youngstown State got off to 7-7 start that included a victory over Pitt and two against Houston. However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an abrupt end to the season right before conference play began. "We were having a great year and everything was going really well, and then obviously the pandemic hit and the lesson there was you can't take anything for granted," Clift said. "We weren't sure if we were going to get our year (of eligibility) back or if it was going to be 14 games and, bam, your career is over." Youngstown State currently is third place in the Horizon. The Penguins were swept by first-place Wright State in the middle of March but answered two weeks later by taking 3-of-4 games from the Raiders. Last weekend, Youngstown State split a series with Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which the Penguins will see again in the final series of regular season. "I'm very proud of how we've done in conference play," Clift said. "We had one series that really, really didn't go our way with Wright State, but after that we locked in and really stepped on the gas. "I'm excited to keep competing and get into the Horizon League championship." Much like last season, the groundwork for success was laid early in the season with a trip down south. Youngstown State topped Troy 4-2 in the final game of the opening series and then played competitively with Louisiana State (20-12) before dropping 6-2 and 5-3 decisions. "Our non-conference, Power Five record hasn't been very good, but last year and this year playing competitive, always in the game and never getting blown out was really eye-opening," Clift said. While restrictions and testing are still reminders of the pandemic's existence, Clift said that the impact on this season has been minimal. Youngstown State has even hosted some of the largest crowds in his career. "We've been really blessed, especially at home to be able to have fans," Clift said. "This is the best turnout that I've had since I've been here. Our fans have been coming in really big numbers, being really interactive and it's been really, really cool experience to have especially for my last year here." Clift is fully focused on making the most of his final collegiate season, but the political science major will think about his future. He said he hopes to play in a summer league with the hopes of attracting professional attention. "Real life will always be there in the end and I know that, but I want to ride this thing out for as long as I can," Clift said. "I've got to be real with myself and see how everything goes." Contact John Urchek at sports@medina-gazette.com.