“Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” – Special Olympic Athlete’s Oath
Justin Pekarek knows a thing or two about winning and about being brave through struggles, having endured seven surgeries on his pitching arm throughout his baseball career.
Pekarek was the guest speaker at the Seward County Special Olympics banquet Sept. 18 at the Seward Civic Center.
Originally from Staplehurst, Pekarek graduated from Seward High in 1999, the same year he was recruited as a left-handed walk-on pitcher for Nebraska baseball.
He now lives in rural Garland with his wife and three kids.
Pekarek pitched in the 2001 College World Series and holds the University of Nebraska record for most scoreless innings pitched at 33 1/3.
Pekarek was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 2004, but an arm injury in 2006 cut his baseball career short.
He said his small-town, rural upbringing was one reason for his success.
He grew up playing Legion baseball and working at Staplehurst Oil Co.
“I was ‘left-handed pitcher Justin Pekarek from Staplehurst, Nebraska, a town of 275 people including the 15 hunting dogs.’ That’s how I was announced all over the state,” Pekarek said. “It’s my roots. That really has the chance to make us and mold us into who we are.”
Pekarek got the opportunity to play at Nebraska by submitting a highlight tape, but he wasn’t quite up there with his teammates yet.
“I came to Nebraska undersized and undertalented, but I always had two things: I always had a good heart, and I always had a good head on my shoulders,” he said.
He had teammates who were kicked off the team because they made poor decisions, like doing drugs or not
showing up, but Pekarek continued to work hard.
Still, he was told he didn’t have what it took to play Division I baseball.
His coaches gave him six months to improve his speed and muscle, but he hadn’t yet pitched a game.
He spent one summer in Kansas on a team for the NBC summer tournament, where he’d been called to fill in for an injured player.
“I was so fired up on the drive down. Then I sat on the bench for three weeks and didn’t throw a pitch,” he said.
The team was doing well, rising to the top of 64 teams.
In the semifinal game, his coach let him start, having never pitched in a game against a single college hitter.
Pekarek threw 77 pitches that night, averaging 90-94 mph the whole time.
“That’s what started my pitching career,” he said.
Pekarek spoke to the room full of Special Olympics athletes about working hard through adversity to get where they want to be.
For Pekarek, adversity came when he fractured the ulna in his throwing arm while lifting weights in 2001. The fracture led to seven surgeries.
“It never felt the same again,” he said.
By the end of his senior year at NU, Pekarek had only pitched 27 innings in four years because of those surgeries.
Then, in his fifth year, he broke the university record and signed with Cleveland.
He gave the athletes a few pieces of advice:
“WIN: Work It Now. You have to work now if you want to win in life.”
“Set achievable goals and hit them.”
“Sports is always fun. It might feel stressful, but you always have to have fun.”
“You’ve got to practice. You just can’t roll out of bed and expect to win.”
Then, he left them with one final piece of advice:
“Be great. Be great to your coaches. Be great to your families. Be great to your parents. Great people rise to the top.”
Athletes received trophies for their accomplishments in basketball, bowling, bocce and track, and coaches and volunteers were recognized following the banquet.
