Louisville Slugger Warriors show what’s possible beyond adversity
NAPLES, Fla. —
For the Louisville Slugger Warriors, baseball is about much more than wins and losses.
It’s about finding a place to belong.
Athletes from across the country traveled to Naples earlier to compete with the National Amputee Baseball Team, but just as importantly, to reconnect with teammates who understand the challenges they’ve faced both on and off the field.
“Being able to be part of this brotherhood is one of a kind, to say the least,” player Steven Contreras said.
For many players, the team represents something they once thought they had lost forever.
“They’re the guys that keep me coming back,” player Parker Hanson said. “I don’t do it because I want to keep playing baseball. I do it because I want to keep playing with these guys.”
The Louisville Slugger Warriors were founded by Estero resident David Van Sleet, who created the program to give athletes with limb loss another opportunity to compete after their playing careers appeared to be over.
“When you retire, you got to find something to do,” Van Sleet said. “I found it.”
What began as a new chapter in his own life has become one for dozens of others.
“Most of them are amputees and have limb differences, and they’ve all played college baseball, but they didn’t think they’d ever get a chance to play again,” Van Sleet said. “Once their careers were over in college, where were they going to go now?”
For Contreras, that opportunity came after a life-changing cancer diagnosis.
“I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 15 years old. I lost my leg when I was 16,” Contreras said. “That was a really vital time in my life because sports was everything to me. I was a tri-sport varsity athlete, and all I wanted to do was get back on the field.”
Leading the team is former Major League Baseball player Curtis Pride, who is deaf. Pride says giving back to athletes overcoming their own obstacles has become one of the most meaningful parts of his career.
“It means a lot,” Pride said. “I’m a big, firm believer in giving back to the community. People helped me growing up, and now it’s my choice to give back to the community.”
The Warriors say the relationships they’ve built extend well beyond baseball.
“Being part of the disabled community, there are certain things that only other disabled people can understand, whether it’s literal physical pains, emotional pains, mental struggles,” Contreras said. “To be able to have a group of guys in this community that just understand because that’s what a lot of us guys need.”
The team’s mission also reaches beyond its own roster.
“All it takes is one person to believe in you,” Hanson said. “Hey, if I’m that one person, I’m happy to do that.”
Contreras hopes that sharing his story encourages others facing similar challenges.
“I do remember the five or six athletes that I first Googled and said, ‘What is life going to be like being an amputee?'” he said. “Being able to do that for the next generation, or anyone, is a true honor. It means the world to me.”
Van Sleet hopes the team’s example reminds people that a disability does not have to define what’s possible.
“Anything’s possible and you don’t have to feel sorry for yourself. You can still get out and do something,” Van Sleet said. “You don’t have to play at this level, but you’ve got to get on with life. This team, I think, tells people they’re doing it.”
