Graduate A Model Of Persistence

Shane Baldwin was a feisty little fetus.

He perfected his right uppercut before his fingers had fully formed. In doing so, he punched his hand right through his mother’s womb and the hand never finished developing.

As a child, Shane hardly noticed the finger buds peeking from the undersized palm of his right hand. But other kids did. It made him an instant target.

“When he was small, he got picked on a lot,” says Shane’s father. “I figured I’d throw him to the wolves. I thought he’d grow up better being around people.”

He was right. When Shane graduates next month, Lakeland High School will lose a well-liked senior, role model and star outfielder who helped his varsity team win two state A-2 baseball championships.

“He’s had to overcome an obvious physical handicap, but he’s never used it as an excuse,” says Terry Gorton, who coached Shane on Lakeland’s junior varsity baseball team. “I’ve always looked at him as a winner.”

“He’s my inspiration,” says Shane’s dad.

Shane’s in utero boxing practice came in handy on the outside. Kids pushed him to prove himself. He did, the only way they’d accept.

His parents didn’t encourage fighting, but they didn’t stop Shane. They figured if he wanted kids to see beyond his hand, he’d find a way.

“That’s probably the hardest thing I ever did, not intervening,” Shane’s dad says. “It broke my heart.”

Tossing a softball with his dad alleviated some of Shane’s frustration. The elder Baldwin was a crackerjack softball player. His throws scorched catchers’ mitts at 80 mph.

His skill inspired Shane from toddlerhood when father-and-son ball practice began. Shane was naturally right-handed, so he tried to catch and throw with his underdeveloped hand. His dad didn’t try to change him.

“I switched to my left hand when I was about 4 because I couldn’t throw the ball more than about 5 feet,” Shane says.

He taught himself to catch left-handed, then pin the ball against his chest with his right hand while he shook the mitt from his left hand. That freed his good hand to return the ball.

Constant practice polished the process until Shane could catch and return a ball faster than most boys his age. His skill impressed youth league coaches. They made him a catcher when he was 9.

His success combined with his father’s steady encouragement filled Shane with a likable self-confidence that overshadowed his odd-shaped hand. His dad’s good nature also rubbed off on him. In sixth grade, Shane won Little League’s good sportsmanship award.

But he didn’t make it onto the area’s all-star team.

“That got me down,” he says. “Everyone said I should’ve made it. I know the coaches didn’t have confidence in me.”

The game grew tougher in junior high. A better catcher moved in and Shane moved to the outfield. He was heavy and slow. He didn’t make all-stars again, and he wasn’t surprised.

That summer he ran relentlessly around his Athol home to build his speed. He climbed rocks to gain strength. He lost 20 pounds and gained muscle.

“I learned that if I want to do anything with baseball in the real world, I have to work harder,” he says.

All-stars never recognized Shane’s skill, but Lakeland High varsity baseball Coach Ken Busch did. He snagged the lean, dark-haired athlete as a junior for right field.

“People look at his hand as a handicap, but it’s not at all,” Coach Busch says. “He plays as good as anyone and works harder than anybody.”

Arthritis sidelined Shane’s dad from his beloved game a few years ago. But Shane keeps the thrill alive for him.

Shane’s Lakeland team won the state championship last year. Shane dove, slid and caught the game-saving ball at the district championship this year. After Lakeland won the state championship this month in Shane’s last high school game, his dad burst with joy.

“I was bawling like a baby,” he says.

“Oh God, he was so happy,” Shane says, smiling as the moment replays in his memory.

He wants to be an anesthesiologist someday and play baseball in college or the pros. His principal says Shane has the right attitude to do whatever he wants to do.

“I know pro ball’s a long shot,” Shane says. “But I might as well try.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo