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Q&A With 49ers' baseball player Sam Pierce

Charlotte pitcher Sam Pierce, a former standout at North Mecklenburg High, was hit in the face by a line drive during a 6-5 win against Xavier on April 12. His jaw was shattered. Since then, he has had two surgeries repairing the damage and might have another. The junior from Davidson, 21, tied for the team lead in saves (four) and had a 2.57 ERA as a sophomore. Even with his injury this season, he remains tied for the team lead in relief appearances (19), and leads in saves (four). Charlotte (30-10, 11-4) opens a three-game series at 6 p.m. today at Hayes Stadium against Atlantic 10 rival Duquesne (16-21, 10-5).

Q. What do you remember of the incident? I didn't even see the ball coming at me. A lot of times when the ball comes back to the pitcher like that you catch it. Usually it looks like a streak of white lightning coming to your head. I blacked out for a split second. I knew I was hurt bad, but I saw the ball and still tried to throw the guy out at first. To cap off the day, I almost got hit by a foul ball as I was walking out of the park to go to the ambulance.

Q. What was the diagnosis? My jaw was shattered. I got a plate in there, a bunch of screws. It was a mess. I had wires across my teeth for about three days, but I threw a fit and got rid of that. Now, I (have) stitches in there. I can't eat solid food and I've lost about 20 pounds. I came to the first game I could after I got out of the hospital (that Sunday) and we lost in the ninth inning, right when I usually come in, so that was tough to watch.

Q. What have you been going through since the incident? I had one pretty bad surgery that lasted about four hours. I had another that wasn't quite as long. It's been pretty bad. They're giving me the option on some cosmetic stuff down the road. We've talked about braces. Most of my teeth are OK, but a couple could die because of the impact. There is a piece of bone remaining under my tongue that may need to be filed down at some point.

Q. How do you feel? Sleeping is pretty hard because I can't find a position where my jaw doesn't hurt. I have to get to class. I can't be on pain killers because I (have) finals coming up and I don't want take incompletes in my classes. I have to go to class, so I'm going to have to deal with the pain. If it hurts, it hurts.

Q. How do you feel about getting back out on the mound? I don't care. Anybody on my team will tell you I don't care. I would step out on the mound today if the doctors let me. Nothing's going to hold me back. I am going to pitch this year again. I'm sure of it. I want to be back for the conference tournament or the (NCAA) regional. And we will be in the regional.