The Ohio State baseball team went to bat for one of its own recently, going above and beyond in an incredible showing of what it means to be a teammate.
Two weeks ago, freshman left-handed pitcher Zach Farmer was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and he’s now undergoing treatment, but he’s far from alone in the process. Led by senior captain Tim Wetzel, who has been a potential donor on the national bone marrow registry for 18 months, all 37 team members and coach Greg Beals were tested to see if they were compatible donors in the event Farmer needs a transplant, the Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday.
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“As soon as we learned Zach’s diagnosis, I told (Beals) about this,” Wetzel told the Dispatch. ” … Everyone was on board with this. This puts the game of baseball into perspective. Winning and losing is important, but right now Zach is in a battle for his life. We’re trying to help him get through this.”
The Buckeyes, including some members of the athletic department, underwent the simple swab test, and even if they aren’t a match for Farmer, their names still will go on the national registry, meaning they’ll possibly be able to help someone else.
“Hopefully we get a match for Zach,” Beals told the Dispatch. “What he is latching on to is being back in this dugout and playing for Ohio State. He signed up to be a Buckeye, and there is a common threat.
“It is voluntary. We didn’t say, ‘We need to do this.’Â It was a no-brainer for the guys in the locker room.”
Photo via Twitter/@claywsyx6
