Everyone has a story; some people have a more motivational one, while others have a more triumphant one. Nonetheless, everyone has endured adversity throughout their life, but not everyone has the drive to transform their adversity into motivation.

Junior baseball player Tommy Chamberlain (Trenton, OH/Edgewood) has such a story. Moments after Chamberlain was born he suffered a stroke, and then became diagnosed with Hemiplegia, paralysis of the arm, leg, and trunk on the same side of the body that is usually caused by a serious illness or stroke. These events altered his life drastically.

From a very young age, doctors and physicians always told him that he would never be normal and that he would be lucky if he could even walk. He can recall being in and out of physical therapy for majority of his elementary days, but that never once stopped him nor discouraged him from playing baseball. For as long as he can remember, Chamberlain has always had a passion for the game of baseball. His dad gave him his first dose of the sport at a young age, and he has loved the game ever since. Doctors always told his father and him that sports, let alone, baseball would forever be out of the question. But that wasn't the way Chamberlain saw it. Each time he heard that he couldn't do something, that only motivated him to do it all the more.

Chamberlain never knew what position he wanted to play or how far it would ever take him, but he knew one thing for sure, that baseball will play a significant role in his life no matter what adversity he has to overcome.

At an earlier age, Chamberlain struggled playing in the outfield and took it upon himself to dedicate his talents to pitching. He first got wind of Wilmington College in the summer of 2010.

Head coach Dan Cleaver recalls, "Tommy was looking for a team to play with in the summer of 2010, then he called us and we said come on and join us. I had never seen Tommy pitch; in fact I had never met Tommy. As that summer progressed, I was impressed by Tommy's work ethic and his confidence. He wanted the ball every game. He didn't have much of a fastball. His curve was average, but he had this exceptional knuckleball that he couldn't throw for strikes with any consistency. By the end of the season I thought, with some coaching and Tommy's confidence he might in, certain game situations, contribute to a college baseball program. Tommy is one of the most coachable players I have ever encountered. Initially there was a need for instilling a sense of self-discipline in him relative to his academic responsibilities, but there was never any doubt about his dedication to his team and his passion for the sport."

"Well my arm is double sensitive and I believe that's what allows me to throw a knuckle ball as successfully," Chamberlain explains. "One of the first questions my dad asked the doctor when I was younger was if I would ever be able to play baseball; of course they said no, but people have always told me that I couldn't do stuff. So I took it upon myself to prove them wrong. I had to learn to walk before I could crawl in a sense."

Chamberlain has played in eleven games so far this season with one start and Cleaver says, "Tommy has improved in many ways. He spots his fastball better and he's added velocity. His biggest improvement on the mound is his control. He's around the plate and making it difficult for hitters to lay off the knuckler and sit on the fastball' All his pitches have improved."

He also stated that, "Chamberlain is a great teammate and that he cares about his teammates' success as much as his own."

He plans to continue to play for sometime after he graduates and to be a coach after that. His dad plays a very influential role in his life and instilled the notion that he is capable of anything that he puts his mind to.

Most people would have given in to the doubters, and probably would've never even tried to play baseball once they were told they would never be able to. So adversity might have been his first chapter, but Tommy Chamberlain has made it a goal to make motivation be his last.

Written by Christian Patterson