FSU baseball pitcher Wyatt Crowell undergoes Tommy John surgery

If it wasn't already clear that Florida State ace Wyatt Crowell's season was over, he made it clear Thursday night.

In a tweet shared on his Twitter account, Crowell announced that he underwent surgery Thursday in Atlanta. Although he didn't specify, Noles247 reported that he underwent Tommy John surgery to fix a torn UCL in his left elbow.

Crowell hasn't pitched since he made his first career start in FSU's 5-3 win over Pitt on March 11. He threw six scoreless innings in his long-awaited rotation debut after serving as a high-leverage long reliever in his first two seasons and the start of his junior season before his move to the bullpen.

Crowell finishes the 2023 season with a 0.87 earned run average, allowing just two earned runs over 20.2 innings.

Crowell's win over Pitt moved the Seminoles to 11-3 on the season at that time. They've lost 16 of their last 18 games since his last appearance, falling to 13-19 entering this weekend's road series at NC State.

There are a number of reasons for FSU's fall-off beyond Crowell's injury. However, it's undeniable that the loss of Crowell, who was far and away FSU's most reliable pitcher on a staff that lacked much of any depth, has been a major contributing factor.

Crowell didn't announce anything about his future while announcing he had undergone surgery, but it's hard to imagine he'll make another appearance in an FSU uniform. He began the season as a highly-touted MLB Draft prospect for this year's draft and may not throw at all in the 2024 college season even if he did return due to how long the recovery from Tommy John surgery is.

If this is the end of Crowell's collegiate career, he'll finish with a 2.15 ERA over three seasons and 88 innings. That ranks 10th in program history among pitchers who threw between 50 and 99 innings.