Guerin senior Morris Vazquez played baseball every summer since he was 3 years old.
That changed last year when the middle infielder underwent surgery on his right rotator cuff.
The recovery forced him to sit the whole summer. All that time not spent on the diamond actually fueled his love for baseball.
“Sometimes you get caught going through the motions,” Vazquez said. “You don’t notice what you have until you lose it. My injury made me appreciate baseball more and it helped me work harder in the offseason so I could be ready.”
Vazquez had seen four doctors in an attempt to figure out why he had a nagging pain in his shoulder. MRIs and X-rays didn’t show the cause of the problem, was so Vazquez sought out a specialist, Dr. Gregory Nicholson, a team physician for the Chicago White Sox. He discovered that the trouble was with a muscle that runs over the rotator cuff.
“He told me he saw this problem in a lot of teens and that it can irritate you as you grow,” Vazquez said. “He shaved it down and said I should be fine.”
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Vazquez, who spent most of last spring as a DH because of shoulder pain, had surgery in June and wore a sling for a month, forcing him to take the summer off from baseball.
All he could do is search for a life raft to carry him through a summer of inactivity. He found it in Netflix, watching everything from the movie “Sharknado”, to episodes of Family Guy.
Vazquez, from Chicago, was able to start doing some baseball-related activities in September and his arm has felt much better this spring. He isn’t pitching, so he’s mainly been at third base.
Guerin head coach Dan Mustari has been pleased with his performance hitting in the No. 3 spot.
“He’s been a tremendous hitter all season,” Mustari said. “Any time we need a big hit, he’s there. He couldn’t even throw the ball last year and his arm is a lot better this year.”
Vazquez’ perseverance and determination serves as big motivation for his teammates.
“He’s a hard worker, a competitor and he just wants to win,” teammate Mario Navarro said. “He always has a positive attitude and really motivates everyone.”
Vazquez came up big in the Gators’ 13-0, four-inning win over Legal Prep, a Chicago charter school, in the Class 2A Guerin Regional semifinals on Wednesday, May 20. He went 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.
The Gators (7-20) won the regional championship on Saturday, May 23, by defeating Walther Christian 5-0 behind Mario Navarro’s complete-game, two-hit shutout.
Guerin advanced to meet Holy Trinity in the Lisle Sectional semifinals scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, May 27.
Vazquez will attend Dayton in the fall. He hopes to walk on the baseball team and plans to study exercise science.
“I want to be a sports doctor,” Vazquez said. “I’ve always wanted to be around athletes and sports teams, so if I could be a sports doctor for the Bulls or the White Sox, that would be great.”
Valentin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.