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When Shemiah Sanchez was 14, April 1st brought the beginning of spring break and an answer for all of the headaches and symptoms she had been having: she was diagnosed with lupus and told she would never step on the softball field again.
And this was no April Fools’ joke, either.
It is a day her family will never forget, for it changed her perspective and turned her from just a player into a fighter. It changed the passion in perspective of the whole family as well. Each of them today sees her as a blessing and each moment as a gift.
Her brother, DeAngelo, had to miss her entire high school season. He made a promise to his sister: for her entire college career, he would be her No. 1 fan and he has made good on that promise.
This is Shemiah’s senior season playing for the LSU Tigers and he’s not only her No. 1 fan, he’s the No. 1 fan for the LSU Tigers softball team. Certainly, if you attend at Tiger game in person or event watch on TV, you can’t miss him.
“DeAngelo’s always with us, even at away games,” Shemiah says. “We know we will always have someone in the stands.”
The starting infielder for the SEC team that is now 9-2 and ranked #7 in the most recent Extra Inning Softball/JWOS Power Rankings, Shemiah enjoys having her family along, and her softball family has adopted her brother into the team.
DeAngelo never stopped cheering, moving, or talking throughout the game. Well-known even by rival schools, fans banter back and forth with DeAngelo during games.
Here’s the older brother in action during one of Saturday’s games in the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational:
As a young travel ball player from Georgia, Shemiah competed for the Georgia Impact, then then Atlanta Vipers, before she ultimately finished her career with the East Cobb Bullet team.
Her parents, Manuel and Shandria, supported and balanced the club schedule with her health issues.
Talented and nationally known as a high schooler, she originally verballed to Georgia Tech, but after a coaching change, the infielder opened up her recruiting.
She learned that LSU was interested and visited Baton Rouge.
“It’s really incredible,” she told Extra Inning Softball this weekend. “I was instantly comfortable and knew that it was a big family. It was right for me from the start.”
After her senior season finishes, Shemiah will pursue her Olympic dreams with the Puerto Rico National Team, which she also competed with back in the summer of 2015. She’s got a positive message for those who are on the recruiting road: “Enjoy every moment, but keep working hard. Never, ever get comfortable. Growth’s biggest enemy is comfort.”
Her brother draws passion from her battle with the auto-immune disorder.
“Every play she makes, every ball she hits, it’s a gift,” he said. “She isn’t even supposed to be out there. But she’s a fighter. That’s what brings out my passion. That’s what I love most.”
Her senior season is one that’s full of emotion for her, the family and her brother. The big brother has some advice for kids who hope to step onto a college field one day, based on what he’s seen from his sister’s journey.
“You can go to practice. But it’s the things you do on your own that take you from great to elite. Dedicate time to developing yourself, DeAngelo says. “I learned from her: continue to fight and trust in God.”
As for Shemiah, she will miss putting on the purple and gold and playing for her school.
“Wearing LSU across your chest is really special,” she says. “It’s so much bigger than yourself. You’re playing for tradition, for the community, it’s just more.”