Throwing curveballs at adversity

Baseball is the one sport that doesn't have a clock. But you've got to beat the other guy. Every player goes out there every single day and works as hard as they can, in order to make the ball go faster by making their bat hit it harder.  

"You have to work on it every single day to make yourself the best," club president Tommy Christensen said. He is a fourth year at Arizona State University, pursuing a degree in economics. 

Christenson has lived his whole life on a baseball diamond. Having begun his baseball career as a pitcher, the first baseman has overcome numerous obstacles that could daunt even the most seasoned player.

His introduction to baseball occurred when he was 4 years old. It didn't involve taking him to play Little League.

“My dad didn't believe in Little League,” Christensen describes. “You can't lead off bases until the ball gets to the catcher, and there's no pickoff. So he took me to our local Pony League, and I started playing up a little bit when I was 4 or 5.”

Like many pitchers, Christensen has struggled with injuries. 

“I've had five surgeries on my right arm,” he said. “When I was in community college, I had two surgeries my first year: carpal tunnel surgery on my wrist and ulnar transposition surgery on my elbow, which is moving the ulnar nerve that runs from your elbow to your forearm.”

Sadly, Christensen’s ulnar transposition surgery didn’t go smoothly, and he underwent three more surgeries to put things right. 

“I also tore my UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) and underwent Tommy John surgery, well, a partial Tommy John surgery, where they reattached my UCL using suture tape because it was partially torn. I also corrected my ulnar transposition, and I had to remove 10% of my tricep muscle because it tore.”

Again and again, though, Christensen manages to pick himself up and keep moving because he is fueled by a game he loves.

As club president of the baseball team at Arizona State University, Christensen sees this activity not only as a chance to compete but also as a means to socialize. Not only are they great for this, but they also allow students to feel a sense of belonging and community. Of brother and sisterhood. Plus, it’s a great workout every week for those looking towards health and wellness. 

“The thing that I like about the club so much, and I think some of the other guys like, is that it gives us a chance to still play competitive baseball,” Christensen said. “That’s obviously the fun part, coming out and playing against other people that share our passion. We can do this without taking too much away from our school life.”

“A lot of these guys played community college or varsity baseball in high school and decided it wasn’t the right path for them,” Christensen explained. “But they still want to meet other guys at ASU who love playing baseball, and it really brings a lot of people together.”

Club baseball at ASU has undergone significant expansion. 

“We have 50 guys currently, and we are expecting to have 60 by the spring semester,” Christensen said. 

The club comprises two teams: D1 and D2. Both teams compete within the NCBA, which also organizes its conference teams into divisions. This year, there is talk of forming a third team, D3. “We have the most turnout that we've seen at our tryouts this year, which is awesome,” reports Christensen. “We could form a third D3 team, but it wouldn’t be easy. D1 and D2 are already tough enough.”

The team is also faced with other practical issues, such as finding suitable grounds to play practice matches and securing funding for both teams. “Finding fields in Arizona is tough, and fundraising is always difficult,” Christensen said.. “We normally have our tryouts at Tempe Diablo, which is a stadium close by, and that’s pretty cool. The Cubs team down the street won’t allow us to play there, though.”

However, despite these odds, the team is gearing up for an exciting spring season. As Christensen shares, “In the spring, we really turn it on. We play some very competitive baseball, but we still have a lot of fun.” 

The club teams they've faced include Grand Canyon University, University of Arizona, UC San Diego and San Diego State. This spring, they will play against Air Force and the University of Colorado Boulder. 

“We are also attempting to get another game outside our conference,” Christensen added. “We are considering possibly heading to LA or maybe Utah, which would be quite cool. The spring is where we prove what we are capable of doing because we travel a lot, which helps us bond within our team, making this experience even better,” he says. 

Check out the D1 Baseball Instagram page for more information on tryouts! And don’t miss the latest addition of Nancy Tries Baseball! If you’re interested in learning more about club sports themselves, check out their website.