Zach Farmer Receives Tom Walter/Pete Frates College Baseball Inspiration Award – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 18, 2014
RELATED INFO
· Follow the Buckeyes on Facebook and Twitter
· CollegeBaseballInsider.com Story
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio State baseball pitcher Zach Farmer was named a recipient of CollegeBaseballInsider.com’s fourth-annual Tom Walter/Pete Frates College Baseball Inspiration Award, the website announced Tuesday. The award, renamed this year to include former Boston College star Pete Frates, recognizes examples of inspiration in college baseball.
The award comes as Farmer is almost five months cancer free after winning his fight with acute myeloid leukemia at the James Cancer Hospital on campus in Columbus. After undergoing chemotherapy to fight the disease, Farmer was able to find a bone marrow match through the bone marrow registry and had his transplant in August. He is currently recovering from the bone marrow transplant and plans to return to classes and play for the Buckeyes in the spring of 2016. He was 6-4 with a 3.28 ERA in 10 appearances, including nine starts as a freshman for the Scarlet and Gray last spring before being diagnosed in late April.
Farmer will be recognized tonight at the Ohio State men’s basketball game against Marquette at Value City Arena.
Other winners of the award, include Bethune-Cookman coach Jason Beverlin, Georgia Southern reliever Jason Richman, Louisville superfan Michael Todd Esser, Portland pitcher JR Bunda and Vanderbilt student managers Josh Ruchotzke and Mike Portu.
“Inspiration comes in many forms, and we’re honored to highlight an exceptional group of student athletes and coaches,” said Sean Ryan, co-founder of CollegeBaseballInsider.com, in a press release. “Each of our winners, as well as our other finalists, has impacted not only their teams, but also their communities. We congratulate and thank them for inspiring on and off the baseball diamond.”
The award, created by CollegeBaseballInsider.com (CBI) in 2011, is named for Tom Walter, the head coach at Wake Forest who donated a kidney to freshman outfielder Kevin Jordan before the 2011 season, and Frates, whose courageous battle with ALS captured the nation’s attention with this summer’s ice bucket challenge.
