Rick Wise’s second season as the Lancaster Barnstormers’ pitching coach could be divided into two categories.

There was the on-field enjoyment and the off-field misery.

Wise struggled with a bulging disc and pinched nerve in his lower back last summer. The pain prevented him from throwing batting practice, shagging fly balls and participating in his usual pre-game activities.

It was a trying year.

“The worst I ever had,” Wise said. “It was very, very discouraging. I couldn’t do anything and I felt bad about it. I just had to gut it out and get through it. I had to get home, get it taken care of and go from there.”

Wise, 61, had surgery to repair the problem in December. Nearly two months later, there’s some stiffness, but the pain is gone.

Feeling healthier and rejuvenated, Wise is ready to get back to the grind. He plans to return to the Barnstormers when the team heads to spring training in April. It will be his 44th season in a professional uniform.

“I feel tremendous,” said Wise, who has undergone three back operations.

“I’m going to keep checking with my doctor. He said easy does it for three or four months and to check back with him prior to spring training. Unless something goofy happens, I’ll be 100 percent.”

The Barnstormers won the Atlantic League title with a three-game sweep of Bridgeport in October, but the pain made it difficult for Wise to enjoy the ride.

Incredibly, despite spending a lifetime in the game, this was the first time Wise was part of a championship team.

“I’ve won pennants and division titles and all that kind of stuff,” said Wise, who was the winning pitcher in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series as a member of the Boston Red Sox. “But I’d never won the whole ball of wax. That was very special.”

Wise’s return gives the Barnstormers’ coaching staff added stability. The team promoted third base coach Frank Klebe to manager after Tom Herr left to join the Washington Nationals’ organization in December. The Barnstormers have yet to fill Klebe’s old position. That search is ongoing.

Lancaster’s pitching staff will likely look a lot different next season. Ace Denny Harriger is expected to retire and closer Charlie Weatherby has been signed by the Philadephia Phillies.

The most familiar pitcher in the clubhouse might be the coach. Wise has no designs on retirement.

“Baseball’s in my blood,” he said. “I’m a lifer and I’m proud of it.”

Wise is excited about returning to Lancaster for another summer. More importantly, he’s excited about being his old self again.