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USF baseball players draw inspiration from brothers

By Greg Auman, Times Staff Writer
In print: Tuesday, May 20, 2008

USF’s Addison Maruszak, center, with father John, left, and 16-year-old brother Steven, whose disease is in remission.
	[Courtesy of the Maruszak family]

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TAMPA — Every time he steps into the batter's box, the first thing USF first baseman Joey Angelberger does is draw a cross in the dirt with his bat, a tribute to the brother he lost nine years ago. Each time he scores a run, he remembers his brother as he crosses home plate, a hand to his chest, a kiss to the sky.

His teammate, shortstop Addison Maruszak, can appreciate the gesture. He has learned from time spent with major-league stars such as Derek Jeter and Tino Martinez, but his greatest motivation comes from hearing his 16-year-old brother, Steven, cheering from the stands.

As USF opens play in the Big East tournament tonight in Clearwater, Angelberger and Maruszak are veteran leaders who have guided the young Bulls. For both, their inspirations are their brothers, who have taught them, in death and in life, to truly appreciate the sport they love.

"It's something you think about every day," said Angelber­ger, who has four home runs in his past four games, three against tonight's opponent, Notre Dame. "It's something that has helped me, throughout my career, not to take things for granted."

In August 1999, two weeks before Angelberger's freshman year at Dunedin High, brother Chris Casimer died in a motorcycle accident on the Courtney Campbell Parkway. Chris was 21, a former Little League standout.

Just last month, Pam Angelberger was going through her Bible when she found a small slip of paper; it was written by Joey, dedicating his baseball career to his brother.

Angelberger, 23, said it started that freshman year, when he just wanted to make the varsity team for his brother. He went on to earn first-team all-state honors. After having Tommy John elbow surgery and redshirting his first year at USF, he has been a standout with 143 RBIs in four seasons, including a career-best 48 this season.

"It's unbelievable to think about, if he was here watching, how proud he'd be, how proud he is," said Angelberger, named first-team all-Big East on Monday by league coaches along with freshman outfielder Ryan Lockwood.

Maruszak, 21, a junior from St. Petersburg Catholic, knows how family support can lift an athlete. His brother Steven was only 3 when he was diagnosed with juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare, sometimes painful autoimmune disease that can cause muscle fatigue, joint pain and calcium deposits under the skin. He was treated for 21/2 years, then the disease resurfaced, with another 21/2 years of treatment. Maruszak remembers how hard it was for his little brother to walk up the stairs in the family's three-story home.

"He's had that his whole life, and it was a tough time for him when he was growing up," Maruszak said. "He couldn't play sports, and when he could, it would flare up and keep him from playing. He's been through a lot of stuff, more than I'll ever go through. You'd never know that now. He's my role model. I do this for him."

Steven's disease has been in remission for 51/2 years, and he just finished his sophomore year at SPC. He's a regular at USF games in Tampa and will be at Bright House Field tonight, cheering with his parents.

USF (29-25, 14-13 Big East) has only three players from Pinellas County on the roster, but this week is a homecoming, potentially a goodbye, for two key bats in the lineup. For now, their goal is to keep this season going as long as possible. They are underdogs in Clearwater, but they're not short on inspiration.

"I do this for him," Maruszak, a second-team all-Big East pick, said of his brother. "When I get tired, when I'm running, I just think that he doesn't have the opportunity to feel this. He's why I'm here, why I've gotten so much better here, just thinking about him."