11 August 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Liberal Bee Jays finished their run in the 2024 NBC World Series on Wednesday. But for their starting pitcher Tristin Crusenberry, playing the game of baseball holds extra meaning.
The game of baseball is where he’s kind of found his identity. This place where he can flourish and excel,” explained his father, Tom Crusenberry.
The Louisville native’s success on the mound is nothing short of a miracle. At one point in his life, it seemed impossible.
“I was 13 months old, I had spinal meningitis and I was paralyzed from the neck down. I could not move anything and I lost hearing from that. I had under a five percent chance to live and the doctor said I was not going to make it,” said Tristin.
At 15 months, he lost 100 percent of his hearing. It was a difficult situation for his family.
“I was angry, I was upset. I’m like ‘how are we going to do life?’ You know, I just lost all communication with my son, my wife and I process things very differently…” said Tom.
Tristin received a cochlear implant in his left ear at 18 months old to help him hear some sounds. His right ear was unrecoverable. Learning to communicate throughout his childhood became a struggle.
“I was just not happy with myself because I couldn’t hear or talk very well. I was sitting at the end of the bench by myself. I was so scared getting blended into society,” said Tristin.
He spent 14 years in speech therapy and requires an ASL interpreter for many venues.
When he was around five years old, his dad decided to put him into t-ball. The sport changed his life forever.
“I just fell in love with it. That’s where I became the happiest person on the planet and just started playing it form there,” he explained.
Baseball opened the door to many opportunities for him. He says, “It just got me to open more paths to the real hearing world and that’s how I learned how to speak, that’s how I learned communication.”
But just when he thought he was safe, he got thrown another curve ball.
“There was a lot of bullying because he was different. There was a lot of struggles in middle school and high school they were really some rough times just because he talks different,” explained Tom, “As a parent looking back, there’s probably times where I think I would have probably walked away from the game. And just seeing his determination and not getting caught up in being different… Tristin has never let the hearing loss hold him back or push him down.”
Tristin says he was the only one from his high school baseball team to be recruited for college. He recently finished two years at Onley Central College in Illinois, and will play for the Tigers this upcoming year at Campbellesville University.
The story of the determined athlete is striking. The NBC World Series recognized him with the prestigious award for Most Inspirational Player.
“You know, my dream is to be hopefully going to the pros, and I feel like it’s from God’s grace that he saved my life. And that’s why I will carry his message around.
A message he wears proudly on his glove… “Prove them wrong”.
“Without hearing, it doesn’t matter, because you are just like everybody else. You can go prove them wrong,” said Tristin.
A life with an adverse beginning, is now one filled with victory.