It was just another day on the baseball field for Bartlett’s Josh Colaizzi, something that he had experienced hundreds if not thousands of times.
On Sept. 14, Colaizzi was playing in a travel baseball game in Iowa. But during an at-bat, facing a 2-0 count, the day turned into anything but routine.
“I saw a fastball coming and I thought I reacted,” Colaizzi said. “As soon as I got hit, I went down and I couldn’t see out of my left eye. I personally thought I was done at that point.”
Emergency eye surgery followed at the University of Iowa.
“I went to the emergency room right away,” Colaizzi said. “They were making sure I didn’t have a concussion. I got 10 stitches. He was looking at my pupil and it was leaking out of my eye.
“They said if I didn’t have emergency surgery I could lose my eye.”
Considering Colaizzi had already undergone a cornea transplant earlier in his career, he couldn’t believe the cruel twist of fate he had just suffered.
“It all hit me at once,” Colaizzi said. “I was frustrated and sad at the same time. I didn’t work this hard for it to end like this. I didn’t think there was any way I could come back from that.
“Miracles can happen, and here I am.”
Fast forward to November and he was cleared to begin baseball activities again.
After all Colaizzi has gone through, the senior outfielder has been awarded the Bo Jackson Courage Award, which is given to someone who has shown “exceptional resilience, bravery or overcome significant adversity.”
He’ll receive the award at a banquet Sunday in Tinley Park from the Pitch and Hit Club of Chicago.
“It’s pretty special to win it unanimously,” Colaizzi said. “It’s just a blessing and I’m grateful for it.”
When Bartlett coach Alex Coan first heard about the injury, baseball was the last thing on his mind.
“My first thought was, ‘Is he OK?’” Coan said. “Baseball is secondary at that point. He called me and told me he didn’t know what was going to happen.
“I said, ‘Let’s take things back a bit and focus on getting you back to being physically OK. We can worry about baseball after the fact.’”
Only two months after the accident, Colaizzi was cleared for physical activity. So, what did he do? The same thing he’s done just about every day for years — he was in the gym at 5 a.m.
“I went and lifted that day and went to the Bo Jackson dome in Bensenville to go hit,” Colaizzi said. “I got back into it.”
Coan was amazed with how quickly Colaizzi got back up to speed.
“Didn’t miss a beat,” Coan said. “Josh is the type of kid that will find his way back to where he was before the injury. But you don’t anticipate it being in the first week back.
“For him to get back that quickly is crazy. To step into the cage three months after this happened is not normal.”
Another situation Colaizzi went through in the wake of the accident was his college recruiting.
He was uncommitted at the time, but McHenry County College wasn’t fazed, however. He committed on Oct. 27 while still rehabbing.
“I think they knew who I was and I think they thought about the injury and didn’t think it would set me back at all,” Colaizzi said. “They had the faith to give me this opportunity.”
Coan isn’t surprised Colaizzi is conquering yet another obstacle in his way.
“Whether it’s his height or past medical issues, he thrives in the role of, ‘I see what you’re saying and here’s how I’m going to prove you wrong,’” Coan said. “It’s a special makeup.
“I couldn’t think of a more perfect person for this award to be going to.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.