USD Baseball 1990

Page 26

Adam Schwindt

HOW USO players saved a teammate from death. By Kirk Kenny

San Diego Tribune October 24, 1989

Devin Bundy's back was to the playing field at USD's Cunning-

ham Stadium as he put away his batting helmet in the dug- out. Bundy didn't see what happened. He didn't need to see it. He heard it. There were two distinctive sounds. One came within a split second of the other. They may be the sweetest and sickest sounds in sports. "You love to hear that solid sound of the bat hitting the ball," said Bundy. "But the next sound I heard was a dull thud." His reaction . "Instant fear." Bundy's worst fears were confirmed when he turned around. USO picher Adam Schwindt lay motionless on the ground behind the mound. Schwindt had been struck in the head by a line drive, the ball hitting just above the right ear. Bundy and catcher Steve Stumpfl, who had been on third base, were the first players to reach their fallen teammate. Within seconds the rest of the Toreros players in the intrasquad game were crowded around the mound. What followed was the biggest rally in USO history. Schwindt is alive and well today because of the calm displayed by his teammates in an emergency. "They did a fantastic job," said Schwindt, 20, speaking from his home in Rancho Palos Verdes one month to the day after the accident. "I owe them a lot. It's good to be out of the hospital and at home. There's really nothing wrong. My memory is OK and physically I feel pretty good. I'm really happy with my progress. Good and quick." Schwindt spent 28 days in the hospital. He was in a coma the first week and in the intensive care unit for three weeks. He went through rehabilitation exercises the last week before being sent home Friday. The only thing faster than Schwindt's recovery was the fast action taken by his teammates. "The job that was done was done right here on the field," said USO coach John Cunningham, who was out of town with the Toreros football team Sept. 23 when the accident occurred. "Had there been a trainer here or had we been here, I don't know if we would have handled it as well. You never know what you 're going to do in an emergency situation. "They stopped the bleeding, treated him for shock, kept him from swallowing his tongue and waited for the paramedics. In the meantime they had sent other guys to get help. The paramedics were here within 10 minutes and within 20 minutes he was in surgery. That's probably what saved his life. They didn't panic." Said Bundy: "I got to him first and he said, Jesus, Bund, my head hurts.' Then he said his legs felt cold and a second later he said he couldn't feel them any more. That's when his eyes rolled back into his head. "When he lost consciousness, I knew something was really serious. I was scared, but I knew we were doing something right." Stumpfl held Schwindt's head up. Outfielder Jerry Cowan held a wet towel against the injured area to control the bleeding. Pitcher James Ferguson held one of Schwindt's arms. Bundy held the other one and took Schwindt's pulse. "I used to be a lifeguard;" said Stumpfl, "so I knew to keep the head back and keep the airway open. Then we started trying to get his mouth open to keep him from swallowing his tongue." Other players brought a tarp over to wrap around Schwindt and keep him warm. Meanwhile, pitcher Lou Skertich and Peter Keup and outfielder Dan McAdoo ran for help. Skertich flagged down a policeman. Keup called campus security. McAdoo called an ambulance.