IU Baseball player Tyler Cerny’s road to college baseball
Indiana University baseball player Tyler Cerny hasn’t had the easiest road to playing college baseball. What started out as a minor illness in high school transformed into something not even doctors could diagnose. However, despite the circumstances, junior Tyler Cerny was able to preserve and make his way to the diamond at Indiana University.
This feature was created by Media School Student Nick Rodecap for his broadcast journalism course.
Nick: It’s hard enough to play baseball at the division 1 level. Just 2% of high schoolers even make it that far. Throw in an illness that doctors can’t diagnose and you have what some may see as an impossible task.”Some, but not Indiana’s own Tyler Cerny.
[A video clip plays of a baseball game at the Bart Kaufman field where a person hits the ball with his bat and starts running around the bases. Crowds cheer.]Now entering his third season in Indiana, Tyler Cerny committed to the Hoosiers as a freshman at Center Grove High School. His road to Bloomington was bumpy. High school players develop the most between their sophomore and Junior Seasons. Cerny lost his sophomore year due to covid. A year later, an odd illness forced him off the diamond.
Tyler: My body was still sore. I was, like, taking ibuprofen and it was, you know, helping me get through the games but, uh, I- I wasn’t, I was not normal for sure. Like there was something definitely wrong.
Nick: Doctors ran hundreds of blood tests and even used a bone marrow biopsy to rule out cancer. Cerny’s immune system kicked into high gear and didn’t return to normal for months.
Tyler: Hearing that, you know, no one knows really what’s wrong with you is not, like, the greatest thing to here, um, so it was it was tough here and that, like, what are you going to do about it? You just got to, you know, persevere through it, work through it, and do whatever you can to control what you can control, and, you know, do your best to get back out there .
Nick: He lost nearly 20 pounds, but Cerny fought back and was playing again by the summer. A strong senior season with the Trojans led him to Bloomington. He earned a starting spot as a true freshman.
[A video clip plays of a baseball game at a field where the batter hits the ball and starts running around the bases. People cheer.]Jeff: I remember calling his dad and calling his family and saying he- just don’t worry about Indiana, don’t worry about what, we’re- we’re going to be here for you, we’re going to be supportive. Just get healthy. He is so, uh, focused on succeeding, he- he’s just as, he refuses to be denied and so he attacked his illness that way and he got back, and, you know, he wasn’t quite the same guy initially, but he just fought and fought and fought.
Nick: That same mental toughness is what’s allowed Cerny to make plays like this…[shows a video clip of the host throwing the ball and catching it in the next scene]… look easy. Now, as he shifts towards his Junior season of college ball and eventually the MLB draft, he does it with a unique perspective.
Tyler: I understand that anything at any moment could get taken away from you at any- any time. I mean you just got to live in the moment and be where your feet are at just enjoy it.
[ A video clip is shown of Tyler practicing his swings and the announcer saying the words, “short stat, number eight, Tyler Cerny”]Nick: So far CER has helped the Hoosiers to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. Along with outfielder Devon Taylor, he’s become an upper classman and is ready to make more noise around the Big 10 this spring.