Wilder Inspiring CS Christian While Beating Handicap

Shane Wilder came into this world with a handicap, but it’s never stopped him from living life to the fullest or doing anything he’s set his mind to do.

That includes playing the sport so near and dear to him: baseball.

Wilder was born three months premature without a hand on his left arm. He weighed just under two pounds at birth and spent his earliest days in an intensive-care unit.

“He came out of there fighting, and he’s been fighting ever since,” said Wilder’s father, Todd.

Wilder, a senior outfielder at Coral Springs Christian Academy, is accomplishing more with one hand than some people can with two. Along the way, he’s making believers out of people who underestimated him and earning respect with his upbeat attitude and determination. From the time he was a little boy, Wilder said he never let his physical limitation get the better of him.

“I never saw it as such a big difference or something that could hold me back,” he said.

And so he went on with his life, living it as normally as he could. He played a variety of sports, but baseball became his favorite. Wilder said he grew up with people doubting and discouraging him, but he proved them wrong every time.

Wilder recalled a time when he was playing soccer back in the fourth or fifth grade. He said he’ll never forget what someone said to him about his ability to play baseball.

“He said ‘You play baseball? You can’t do that with one hand.’ He said to stick with soccer,” Wilder said. “I remember just looking at him. You have to learn the hard way that there’s always going to be people out there who put you down and not want you to succeed.”

Wilder also recalls trying out for football at Archbishop McCarthy, the school he attended before transferring to Coral Springs Christian this fall. He remembers people looking at him, saying “How’s he doing this? He’s only got one hand.”

He impressed the coaches enough to earn a spot on the junior varsity team.

But Wilder’s focus was on baseball. He played on the junior varsity and freshman teams, earning defensive player of the year honors and producing the highest batting average.

Wilder played for the Florida Diamonds travel team after his freshman season and then began his sophomore season on the junior varsity team. He played six JV games before he was called up to varsity after a player was hurt.

“I was proud of myself because all this work had paid off,” said Wilder, who pinch-ran and scored the go-ahead run in McCarthy’s state championship win that year, the school’s first team title at that level.

Fast forward to this fall, and Wilder is getting ready to help lead Coral Springs Christian to its first baseball state title as well. Crusaders coach Matt Cleveland said Wilder will start in center field and will hit somewhere in the top of lineup.

Cleveland said when he first heard about Wilder two years ago, he didn’t even know who he was.

“I heard nothing but good things about him and his family and his work ethic,” Cleveland said. “He’s a good player. He’s one of the better outfielders I’ve coached. He’s accurate. He’s quick.”

Cleveland said Wilder brings leadership, speed and good base-running skills that will help the team as it looks to build on a successful 2011 campaign.

“He’s so enthusiastic,” Cleveland said. “He’s excited about just working every day. If that can rub off on our guys, that would be good. I’m looking forward to him being a good leader.”

Cleveland said he already is seeing leadership from Wilder in the weight room.

“He’s pushing kids and encouraging kids, and kids are in awe of what he’s benching,” he said. “He’s probably one of the strongest kids on the team.”

Wilder bats from the left side of the plate, but until he was about 13, he hit from the right side. He said the switch was tough, but like anything else he’s had to do, he approached it with the same work ethic and eventually became good at it. Hitting lefty gives him a lot more power, he said.

Wilder said fielding was always easier for him, and he developed a system for fielding based on the technique of former Major League Baseball player Jim Abbott, who also was born with one hand. After getting the ball in his glove, Wilder will move the glove against his left side, slip his hand out and then take the ball and throw it. And he does it pretty fast.

“It’s just amazing how he flips the glove and takes the ball out so quickly,” Cleveland said.

Wilder knows some of his teammates from playing against them in summer ball. They were among the doubters.

Billy Atkins recalls pitching against him a few years ago in a game at Nova High. Atkins said he “kind of underestimated him.” When Wilder hit a bomb off him, “it was kind of a shocker.”

Catcher Zack Butler said he “definitely underestimated him. I saw a kid with one hand throwing gas. I didn’t think that was going to happen.”

It’s just another couple of cases where Wilder has proven his doubters wrong.

“I know that it’s natural if you see a kid with one hand, you’re immediately going to wonder how does this kid even do anything,” Wilder said. “I was always a person who wouldn’t talk smack. I’m not going to tell you how good I am. I’m going to go out and show you. I know people will believe after I show them.”

Atkins and Butler identify the same leadership skills in Wilder that Cleveland has.

“He’s a motivational speaker,” Butler said. “He tells us to never get down. He never gets down.”

Wilder, who’s also serious about his studies and his faith, credits his leadership abilities to the advice of his parents growing up, who taught him about overcoming life’s challenges.

“I’ve always told him he’s got to try to be better, not just as good,” his father said.

And along with the wise words and encouragement were the countless hours Wilder’s father spent with him practicing his fielding technique or hitting in the cage.

“Without him, I would not be the man I am today,” Wilder said.

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