FARGO -- Noah Rooney was just 8 years old when he was invited to play on a 12-year-old team in Perham, Minnesota. It's never too early to find an effective left-handed pitcher no matter what age, after all.
Now just finishing his junior season at the University of Minnesota, he's still throwing the baseball, no matter what obstacle life has thrown at him. There was the dreaded knee triad tear of the ACL, MCL and meniscus playing football in his senior year of high school.
There was Tommy John surgery, a ligament repair in his elbow, that saddled him all of last season at Minnesota. No matter. Rooney was one of the top pitchers in the Big Ten Conference this season going 4-1 with a 2.94 ERA. He was the leader in appearances in conference games with 14.
"I just felt fortunate to be super healthy again," he said.
Rooney first received attention at the Division I level playing for a club team in Wisconsin in the pandemic summer of 2020. It's when his fastball was first clocked at 90 mph, and being a lefty will attract schools at a fast pace.
"I remember driving back from Wisconsin with my dad and my phone kept ringing," Rooney said.
He whittled his choices to Minnesota, Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh. A Minnesota lakes country kid, the dream of always wanting to be a Gopher won out and he made the call to then-head coach John Anderson.
Later that week, he was playing wide receiver for the Yellowjackets when he caught a tipped pass in the middle of the field and took a hit from the safety.
"Went into the doctor and I just knew from his face that things weren't good," Rooney said. "You learn a lot about yourself going through a process like that. You learn how to take on challenges and you realize how lucky you are for the opportunities."
He underwent surgery in November of 2020, enrolled at Minnesota in September of 2021, but was still in a rehabilitation phase. He appeared in 16 games as a true freshman in 2022 and made 18 appearances with a 3-0 record and a 3.29 ERA as a sophomore.
The career was progressing nicely.
His fastball was topping out at 95 mph. A junior and eligible for the Major League Baseball draft, those thoughts weren't far away. Then, in a matter of one outing, his throwing elbow didn't feel right.
An MRI revealed a partial tear of an elbow ligament. The initial plan was for a rehabilitation program to save his spring season.
"But after six weeks of trying that out, we quickly realized that wasn't going to work," Rooney said.
He had Tommy John surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in early April of 2024. The fact he came back from his high school knee surgery gave him a sense of confidence he could return from the elbow ailment. Returning to the mound took around six to seven months.
His first game appearance in the season opening series at the University of Houston didn't go so hot, however, giving up three runs in less than an inning. That turned out to be an anomaly.
"From then on, I felt like nothing in my elbow was not allowing me to compete at my best," Rooney said.
What's next? Good question. He's meeting with the Gopher coaches this week with three apparent options: return to Minnesota, enter the portal as a grad transfer or enter the MLB draft that is in July.
His fastball is still in the 90s with a knuckle curve that has been tough on opponents.
"There are a lot of things on the table," he said.
Including the mental ability to overcome any obstacle in his way.