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Sunday
March 21, 2010 Since 1922 |
Barbers Hill pitcher beats the odds
By Michael Pineda
Baytown Sun Published November 7, 2007 Barbers Hill senior Johnathan Kelley has been blessed with an athletic frame at 6-4, 240 and a strong arm. The burly right-hander’s fastball is consistently clocked in the mid- to high-90 miles-per hour range.
Yet there is something missing from the overall package — health.
Kelley has battled asthma all of his life. From the age of five months to five years old, his condition was so severe that it was diagnosed as cystic fibrosis. Despite the health issues and doctor’s recommendations that he give up the game, Kelley has continued to play baseball and in doing so, has accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball next season at Galveston College.
Kelley was referred to Galveston College by Northwestern Louisiana, a school that was looking at him. Preferring to go the junior college route, Kelly went through a workout throwing in the mid- to high-90s.
“I wanted to go to a junior college because it is a smaller school and I will get more looks and more playing time,” Kelley said. “My workout at Galveston was not the best I have had but they liked it.”
Kelley’s health has improved as he has gotten older, although he is still forced to miss school due to asthma. His condition at the age of 18 is nothing compared to when he was younger.
During the first five years of his life, he underwent eight surgeries and has had his entire sinus cavity reconstructed because of drainage issues. Even now he must have ethnoidectomy, which is a scraping of his sinus cavity, every three years.
“I still struggle and it gives me trouble, but it is not that bad,” Kelley said.
Kelley took up the game of baseball at the age of four but was told to give it up early by a doctor. Kelley was prescribed a regimen of 48 pills per day and no outdoor activity, advice that his mother Denise Kelly ignored despite being told her son would not live past the age of 15.
“I refused to put him on pills or take him out of baseball,” she said. “If they tell you the life expectancy is only so much, then why would you take away the things they enjoy most?”
Kelley was advanced for his age physically. He was walking by the age of seven months old and was already developing a strong arm.
“He picked up a toy from across the room and blacked by eyes,” Denise Kelley said. “All my husband could say was ‘did you see him throw it?’ The kid was unstoppable.”
Kelley still visited the doctor regularly but showed improvement with the ethnoidectomy. He began his high school career at Milby High School in Houston where he was a pitcher for a poor program. An after-school altercation led to his transfer to Barbers Hill prior to last season.
“Someone had stolen a bunch of gloves and expensive shoes,” Kelley said. “We found who did it in the parking lot after school and he drew a gun on us.”
Kelley moved to Barbers Hill and joined an already strong pitching staff and posted a 3-0 record.
“I like Barbers Hill. You don’t have to wake up worrying if you are going to live from day to day. They have a better education system and a better baseball program,” Kelley said.
“We will take a move-in like Johnathan any day,” Barbers Hill head coach Gil Stalbaum said. “Not only is he a good player but he is an outstanding person. Not having seen him before, I’m not sure how he performed at Milby but he had some control issues that we worked through and he became very consistent.
“He evolved into a third or fourth starter for us and was our top reliever down the stretch.”
The Eagles advanced to the regional semifinals in their first year in Class 4A, the first time that Kelley enjoyed success at the high school level.
“Just being in the playoffs was an accomplishment for me,” Kelley said. “At Milby we were never in the playoffs.”
Most would argue that Kelley’s biggest accomplishment is taking the mound through all of his health struggles. It is something that he does not take for granted.
“I learned to keep your head up and keep going,” Kelley said. “I shouldn’t be here and I shouldn’t be playing baseball.
“I’m glad my parents let me keep playing and doing what I needed to do. Now I have a chance to go to the next level.”
Baytown Sun Published November 7, 2007 Barbers Hill senior Johnathan Kelley has been blessed with an athletic frame at 6-4, 240 and a strong arm. The burly right-hander’s fastball is consistently clocked in the mid- to high-90 miles-per hour range.
Yet there is something missing from the overall package — health.
Kelley has battled asthma all of his life. From the age of five months to five years old, his condition was so severe that it was diagnosed as cystic fibrosis. Despite the health issues and doctor’s recommendations that he give up the game, Kelley has continued to play baseball and in doing so, has accepted a scholarship offer to play baseball next season at Galveston College.
Kelley was referred to Galveston College by Northwestern Louisiana, a school that was looking at him. Preferring to go the junior college route, Kelly went through a workout throwing in the mid- to high-90s.
“I wanted to go to a junior college because it is a smaller school and I will get more looks and more playing time,” Kelley said. “My workout at Galveston was not the best I have had but they liked it.”
Kelley’s health has improved as he has gotten older, although he is still forced to miss school due to asthma. His condition at the age of 18 is nothing compared to when he was younger.
During the first five years of his life, he underwent eight surgeries and has had his entire sinus cavity reconstructed because of drainage issues. Even now he must have ethnoidectomy, which is a scraping of his sinus cavity, every three years.
“I still struggle and it gives me trouble, but it is not that bad,” Kelley said.
Kelley took up the game of baseball at the age of four but was told to give it up early by a doctor. Kelley was prescribed a regimen of 48 pills per day and no outdoor activity, advice that his mother Denise Kelly ignored despite being told her son would not live past the age of 15.
“I refused to put him on pills or take him out of baseball,” she said. “If they tell you the life expectancy is only so much, then why would you take away the things they enjoy most?”
Kelley was advanced for his age physically. He was walking by the age of seven months old and was already developing a strong arm.
“He picked up a toy from across the room and blacked by eyes,” Denise Kelley said. “All my husband could say was ‘did you see him throw it?’ The kid was unstoppable.”
Kelley still visited the doctor regularly but showed improvement with the ethnoidectomy. He began his high school career at Milby High School in Houston where he was a pitcher for a poor program. An after-school altercation led to his transfer to Barbers Hill prior to last season.
“Someone had stolen a bunch of gloves and expensive shoes,” Kelley said. “We found who did it in the parking lot after school and he drew a gun on us.”
Kelley moved to Barbers Hill and joined an already strong pitching staff and posted a 3-0 record.
“I like Barbers Hill. You don’t have to wake up worrying if you are going to live from day to day. They have a better education system and a better baseball program,” Kelley said.
“We will take a move-in like Johnathan any day,” Barbers Hill head coach Gil Stalbaum said. “Not only is he a good player but he is an outstanding person. Not having seen him before, I’m not sure how he performed at Milby but he had some control issues that we worked through and he became very consistent.
“He evolved into a third or fourth starter for us and was our top reliever down the stretch.”
The Eagles advanced to the regional semifinals in their first year in Class 4A, the first time that Kelley enjoyed success at the high school level.
“Just being in the playoffs was an accomplishment for me,” Kelley said. “At Milby we were never in the playoffs.”
Most would argue that Kelley’s biggest accomplishment is taking the mound through all of his health struggles. It is something that he does not take for granted.
“I learned to keep your head up and keep going,” Kelley said. “I shouldn’t be here and I shouldn’t be playing baseball.
“I’m glad my parents let me keep playing and doing what I needed to do. Now I have a chance to go to the next level.”