Fate didn’t throw a curveball at Justin Hillman when he was born.
It threw a 100 mph fastball right at his head.
The 27-year-old from New Lenox was born with cerebral palsy and that has wreaked havoc on him physically, affecting everyday activities such as speech and walking.
That didn’t stop him. He graduated from Lincoln-Way Central High School, earned a degree in human performance at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, drives, has a job and takes part in several adaptive sports.
That includes wheelchair softball, and Hillman will be among the hundreds of athletes from around the globe taking part in the National Wheelchair Softball Association World Series Thursday through Saturday in the parking lots of Ozinga Field, 14011 S. Kenton Ave. in Crestwood.
Hillman plays for the Lincolnway Special Recreation Association’s Hawks team and of all his accomplishments, winning the Junior World Series with the Hawks in 2014 in Chicago ranks near the top.
“It was one of the most wonderful and memorable moments I have ever had,” he said.
Hillman is an employee of LWSRA, leading programs and coaching teams and he is happy doing it.
“Justin brings a lot of energy and provides a positive environment for everybody,” LWSRA Executive Director Keith Wallace said. “He’s always upbeat and has a good time.
“He’s never angry. He’s one of those guys who is even keel and brings a lot of energy.”
Rather than feeling sorry for himself for having to overcome disabilities, Hillman takes the approach of trying everything he can.
“You can stay in or go out there and get things done,” he said. “On and off the field, it’s about being the best version of yourself that you can be.”
He said he enjoys helping people out because many people in the LWSRA organization have helped him out over the years. It’s been like one big family to him.
The Hawks are seeded fourth in the 20-team Division I bracket. They open play at 10:30 a.m. Thursday playing either Ghana or the Deep South Hurricanes.
A team representing Japan, which won the tournament last year, is back and seeded No. 1.
There will also be special brackets involving an international division, a women’s exhibition, a veteran exhibition and a junior division.
Aside from the established squads, players from all over the world will be joining teams in the tournament and meeting their new teammates for the first time.
The Netherlands’ Frank Hooning is one of them.
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He said he started a team in his home country five years ago, and it was gaining steam, but the pandemic slowed things down and the numbers are still down.
“I would like to get a full functional team so that we could enter with a full team here,” he said.
Hooning stopped by the LWSRA field on Saturday to get some practice time in and was amazed at the facility, which was built for athletes with special needs.
“We don’t have fields like this, you know?” he said. “I love the field here. When I drove in here, I was flabbergasted. It’s a dream for me to have a field like this in my hometown.”
Hooning couldn’t wait to take in his first Major League Baseball game and had plans to see the White Sox host Cleveland at Guaranteed Rate Field over the weekend.
He said the Netherlands have had great interest in MLB when longtime Twins pitcher and Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven made his nation proud when he pitched from 1970-1992.
The sport also got a boost in his country in 2011 when the national team won the World Baseball Cup, beating 25-time champ Cuba in what turned out to be the final game in that longtime event.
Hooning said the interest had waned since then, but there are still some fans.
He is trying to bring some of the spirit back with this wheelchair softball venture. He said he has enjoyed the sport for years.
“I just love how people interact with each other,” he said. “It’s a social game as well. You can do anything — whatever your heart desires — when you play. It’s a fun game because of the people you meet.
“And you never know where the ball is going and what it’s going to do.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.