{"id":1052,"date":"2019-03-11T16:55:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T16:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/test-blog-template\/?p=1052"},"modified":"2025-03-27T15:50:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T19:50:38","slug":"a-champion-in-the-dugout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2019\/03\/11\/a-champion-in-the-dugout\/","title":{"rendered":"A Champion in the Dugout"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7\"]{display:block;padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-md, 2rem);text-align:center;font-size:var(--global-kb-font-size-sm, 0.9rem);font-weight:400;font-style:italic;font-family:proxima-nova;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7 mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7 img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<span class=\"kt-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7 wu-subheading wp-block-kadence-advancedheading has-kb-palette-14-color has-text-color\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_e74819-d7\">The 2018 baseball seniors flank Mike Smith. From left: Christian Adorno, Kyle Fries, Nick Grant, Chuck Delagol; Front: Nick Macey, Mike Smith, Zach Rumford<\/span>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column1052_ad1b91-4f dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa\"]{font-size:1.5rem;line-height:30px;font-weight:500;font-style:italic;font-family:proxima-nova;color:#808080;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa mark.kt-highlight, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa\"] mark.kt-highlight{font-style:normal;color:#f76a0c;-webkit-box-decoration-break:clone;box-decoration-break:clone;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px;}.wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa img.kb-inline-image, .wp-block-kadence-advancedheading.kt-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa[data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa\"] img.kb-inline-image{width:150px;vertical-align:baseline;}<\/style>\n<p class=\"kt-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa wp-block-kadence-advancedheading\" data-kb-block=\"kb-adv-heading1052_9da996-fa\">Here\u2019s a question to ponder as the Wilmington University baseball team\u2019s 2019 season gets into full swing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is Mike Smith\u2019s presence in the Wildcat dugout more beneficial to him or to the team?<br>Call it even.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A WilmU student, Smith is afflicted with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. DMD is a genetic disease that causes muscle degeneration and weakness in the body, and as a result he is confined to a wheelchair. Last year, he became the baseball team\u2019s second \u201cMuscle Champion,\u201d which means he was awarded a Letter of Participation and gets to sit in the dugout during games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Coach Brian August and the entire team have welcomed Smith. \u201cOur guys really feed off him being around us,\u201d says August.&nbsp;\u201cMike has a great attitude and our guys love having him with us. He has such a positive outlook in life every day. You can\u2019t believe he has problems because he\u2019s so positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Max Carney, one of the team\u2019s tri-captains, says Smith\u2019s impact is evident as soon as he appears at a game. \u201cYou get such a charge when you see him come rolling down the warning track,\u201d Carney says. \u201cThe mood in the dugout lightens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith\u2019s presence also amps up the pressure \u2014 in a good way \u2014 on the players. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to strike out or, if we\u2019re in the field, we don\u2019t want to walk anybody,\u201d Carney says. \u201cWe\u2019re putting our muscles to the test because he can\u2019t, and we don\u2019t want to let him down.\u201d<br>Frank Nigro, another captain, says Smith makes players realize \u201chow blessed we are.\u201d As a result, says the 6-3 catcher, \u201cwe don\u2019t take [our abilities] for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For his part, Smith is thrilled to be a member of the team. \u201cIt\u2019s so cool,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ve never been part of a team before, and it has meant a lot to me. I get right in the dugout with the guys and feel like I\u2019m a player. I\u2019ve made great friends on the team that go beyond baseball.\u201d<br>Says Nigro: \u201cHe\u2019s a happy kid, always messing around. He hangs with us in the dugout and everyone is always talking to him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The bond between Smith and his teammates continues after the game ends. They compete against each other on PlayStation, which brings out Smith\u2019s competitive streak. \u201cI try to be the last team standing in Fortnite,\u201d he says, adding that his favorite games are Call of Duty and Madden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The team is providing more than companionship and emotional support for him. Through the Muscle Movement Foundation\u2019s Charity of Champions program, players are raising awareness of neuromuscular diseases and soliciting pledges based on their on-field performance \u2013 RBIs and defensive strikeouts \u2013 throughout the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rob DeMasi, the founder and president of MMF, suffers from an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis. A cum laude graduate of WilmU and a nominee for the 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award, DeMasi explains that a Muscle Champion is an individual living with and defying the odds against neuromuscular disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy fellow Muscle Champions continue to win each day in the face of adversity,\u201d he says. \u201cThis is why they are true champions, and they inspire so many.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He explains that the foundation pairs \u201cMuscle Champions\u201d with athletic teams across the country, so it comes as no surprise to him that Smith and the Wildcat ballplayers derive inspiration from each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cJoining an athletic team creates a new support system for our affected families, through physical, financial and emotional support, plus memories that will last a lifetime,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for the players, DeMasi says, \u201cI believe they gain a new perspective about life. Witnessing the champion attitude many of our MMF Muscle Champions possess, despite living with muscle-debilitating symptoms and life-altering circumstances, inspires a new way of thinking. It allows our partnered athletes to understand the privilege of health and embrace their individualized health in full. It also increases students\u2019 knowledge about their community, themselves and a variety of academic disciplines.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Wildcats welcomed their first Muscle Champion, Eddie Hazeldine, who was then 13, three years ago. The team raised about $3,000 for him, according to DeMasi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat enabled the MMF to grant him a wheelchair-accessible ramp for his home,\u201d he says. \u201cEddie has successfully transitioned into a power wheelchair and has a clear and safe entry to his home now. MMF also provided Eddie\u2019s family a wheelchair-accessible automobile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He adds that Hazeldine is currently a student at Delcastle Technical High School and is doing well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith, who graduated from McKean High School in Wilmington, enrolled at WilmU in 2016. He originally planned to study Sports Management, but quickly changed direction when he discovered that the University offered Video Game Design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 22-year-old New Castle resident has found a welcoming and supportive atmosphere on campus. \u201cWilmU is great with accommodations,\u201d he says. \u201cI can\u2019t really write notes, so they supply a note taker. And all the classes I\u2019ve had are easy to get around to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith, who lives with his parents not far from WilmU\u2019s New Castle campus, has battled DMD since the age of 5. Throughout those 17 years, he says, he has had great support from his family and friends, which now includes the Wilmington University baseball team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey make me realize I\u2019m more than just some guy in a wheelchair,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, his teammates are battling to improve on last year\u2019s 35-21 record. But no matter what their final record may be, they\u2019re already champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>-Bob Yearick<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2018 baseball seniors flank Mike Smith. From left: Christian Adorno, Kyle Fries, Nick Grant, Chuck Delagol; Front: Nick Macey, Mike Smith, Zach Rumford Here\u2019s&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[135,143],"tags":[444,638],"class_list":["post-1052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-magazine","category-sports","tag-baseball","tag-magazine-spring-2019"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":135,"label":"MAGAZINE"},{"value":143,"label":"SPORTS"}],"post_tag":[{"value":444,"label":"Baseball"},{"value":638,"label":"Magazine Spring 2019"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/12_sports_baseballSeniors_body-538x480.jpg",538,480,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"Rebecca Slinger","author_link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/author\/rebecca\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":135,"name":"MAGAZINE","slug":"magazine","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":692,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":431,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":135,"category_count":431,"category_description":"","cat_name":"MAGAZINE","category_nicename":"magazine","category_parent":0},{"term_id":143,"name":"SPORTS","slug":"sports","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":700,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":36,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":143,"category_count":36,"category_description":"","cat_name":"SPORTS","category_nicename":"sports","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":444,"name":"Baseball","slug":"baseball","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1001,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":3,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":638,"name":"Magazine Spring 2019","slug":"magazine-spring-2019","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1195,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":20,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1052"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17521,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1052\/revisions\/17521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1053"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1052"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1052"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}