Back on the Mound

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — When Noah Gyauch-Quirk finished his freshman season as a pitcher and outfielder for Lehigh University’s baseball team, the physical wear and tear of the season had finally caught up to him, particularly in his right shoulder and elbow.

Throwing became increasingly painful and — especially when you’re a pitcher — you need to throw the ball. Summer 2025 found Noah searching for the underlying cause of his pain. While he previously saw a rehabilitation provider, he didn’t find his desired answers – “just treatment to go back and play,” Noah said.

Noah wasn’t used to not being on the field. A decorated high school player and dominant pitching force at Liberty High School in Bethlehem, Noah won numerous awards throughout his playing career, helping win five championships in three years, including back-to-back East Penn Conference and District 11 6A titles.

After conferring with an orthopedics expert, Noah then consulted with a Penn Medicine sports medicine doctor, who recommended a kinetic chain evaluation to explore his muscle use. Noah and his family then chose Good Shepherd for physical therapy to help Noah get back on the diamond pain-free.

An evaluation by Good Shepherd physical therapist Eric Gerczak rapidly focused on the source of Noah’s shoulder and elbow pain — and how it could be fixed. 

A 6’4” right-handed thrower and hitter, Noah said Eric’s evaluation indicated a collapsed arch on his right foot and an issue with his right hip. As a result, Noah’s shoulder, arm and elbow started overcompensating, resulting in the pain.

“It ended up being a lot more underlying than just, oh, shoulder pain,” Noah said.

Starting a sports medicine physical therapy regiment in late May 2025, Noah progressed through a custom program at Good Shepherd, starting with his spine and moving to legs, shoulder, hips, quads and smaller muscles.

“We pretty much did a full body,” the Bethlehem resident said.

Through a dedicated program and effort by Noah, he continued to progress to the point where he resumed offseason baseball activities – pain-free – in September.

This fall, the sophomore (College of Business) is playing in scrimmages in preparation for the 2026 season’s start in February.

“Now that I’m throwing again and hitting again, I don’t have any pain,” Noah said. “I just feel overall stronger.”