No limits: Warriors inspire WKU on and off the field

As a Hilltopper, you know about the WKU Spirit-whether it’s your first day on the Hill or decades since you left with a diploma, a red towel collection and a dream. Part of that Hilltopper Spirit is rising to new challenges, reaching new heights and showing up for one another. Across the country, our shared history is built on resilience, on honoring those who fought for our freedom and a love of baseball, our national pastime.

In October 2025, these spirited elements came together for an unforgettable weekend at WKU. The Louisville Slugger Warriors—the world’s only competitive amputee baseball team—took to the field not just to dazzle on the diamond, but to inspire us all with their stories.

Hilltoppers showed up—500 strong over two days. Bringing an event like this to life took a coordinated effort across the campus and community. Led by the College of Education & Behavioral Sciences (CEBS) through the Mary E. Hensley Lecture Series, partners from WKU Athletics, WKU Baseball, the CEBS Dean’s Office, WKU’s Army ROTC program, WKU’s Military Student Services and Rotary International gave their time and talents to make it happen. Together, they created an experience that emphasized in-clusion, strength and resiliency.

Highlighting the significance of the collaboration, CEBS Dean, Dr. Corinne Murphy said: “This is the first time an academic lecture series has partnered with athletics to promote a message of inclusion.”

The weekend’s three main events included an exclusive invitation for interested students in fields like Sports Psychology, Counseling and Physical Therapy to meet with some of the players in a small group.

They heard the athletes’ stories and further developed their disciplinary areas of expertise with an applied question-and-answer session.Warriors players in attendance were Colton DeRocher, who was born without a left hand; Daniel Vanderw-erf, who wears a below knee prosthesis because of a congenital condition; and Derrick Victor, an Air Force veteran who wears a right hip prosthesis after he was injured in an explosion while deployed in Af-ghanistan. They described a team made up of U.S. military veterans, active-duty personnel and former NCAA student-athletes who have lost limbs due to combat injuries, accidents or congenital conditions. As they put it, “We’re not good disabled ball players. We’re good ball players.”

The players posed a question they often ask themselves: “Is it better to be born without a limb or lose it later?” DeRocher shared how his parents pushed him to learn how to do things with one hand, even demonstrating how he ties his shoes. He also recalled a moment from his childhood when he felt sorry for himself and his father told him, “If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will. You’ve got to prove it to yourself first, and then everybody else will follow.”

Victor discussed the challenges of surgery, rehabilitation and physical therapy after a life-changing injury, as well as the mental health struggles of surviving an IED attack while some of his friends did not. “What-ever you’re passionate about, wake up every day in honor of doing that for some purpose,” he said.

Vanderwerf sees that idea play out in his day job, where he fits patients with prosthetics. He builds con-nections, he says, because he’s lived what many of them are going through.

Spread across the country, players often train on their own before coming together to compete. Their scrimmage against WKU marked their first time playing in Kentucky.

Attendee Duerell Bard (’26), a graduate student in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lexington, Tenn., said the team’s supportive community stood out to him. “Instead of facing their experience alone, they built a brotherhood that created a space for vulnerability, encouragement and resilience to exist to-gether,” he said. “From a counseling perspective, it connects strongly to what we learn about trauma re-covery. People often heal best in environments where they feel understood, supported and not isolated by their experience.”

On Friday night, the entire Warriors team joined a large audience in Downing Student Union to screen the Warriors’ award-winning documentary Curveballs… Secrets to the Game of Life and answer audience questions. Before the film began, Dean Murphy said: “Here on the Hill, we talk about growth, and we celebrate the climb. Tonight, we learn a bit about the climb of each Warrior and how they serve to mentor and motivate each other.”

The film highlighted several individual stories, including those of DeRocher, Victor and Vanderwerf, as well as their Head Coach Curtis Pride, who is deaf and played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball.

In a show of solidarity and support, the entire WKU Hilltopper Baseball team attended, arriving straight from practice for Saturday’s scrimmage. “It’s good for my guys—my young men on our team—to learn from and play with players who have served and gave us what we enjoy every day, which is our freedom,” said Mark Rardin, Head Coach for WKU Baseball.

The next afternoon, the stands at Nick Denes Field were filled with fans as the Louisville Slugger Warriors took on the Hilltoppers. The scrimmage raised money for WKU scholarships and local youth baseball teams.

“Playing against the Louisville Slugger Warriors was a lifechanging experience,” said Kyle Hayes, No. 20 for WKU Baseball and a Sports Psychology major from West Chicago, Ill. “As athletes, we take so much for granted, and it was incredible to see what they go through just to get on the field. I have a tremendous amount of respect for their whole organization and each of the players.”

Fans watched the game holding mini Louisville Slugger bats and wearing star-spangled red, white andfor WKU Baseball and a Sports Psychology major from West Chicago, Ill. “As athletes, we take so much for granted, and it was incredible to see what they go through just to get on the field. I have a tremendous amount of respect for their whole organization and each of the players.”

Fans watched the game holding mini Louisville Slugger bats and wearing star-spangled red, white and blue TOPS baseball caps. The focus wasn’t on the score, but on the courage, determination and teamwork on display.

“Baseball brings people together,” said Dr. Bernard Strenecky, event liaison for the Rotary Foundation and Playball Puerto Rico. “It’s a unifying force, and it’s something we all need right now.”

At WKU, the motto is: “The Spirit Makes the Master.” For the Warriors, it’s just as clear: “Neither the game, nor the human spirit, has limits.” • JESSICA BASHAM (’11, ’17, ’19)