A heart for sports

At 5-foot-6 and 130 pounds, Torey White is usually the smallest guy on the baseball field. But opposing teams end up finding out what his teammates already know: He's also probably the toughest.

Yuma Catholic's gritty, hard-nosed senior shortstop is a key cog in the Shamrocks' run at a second-consecutive 2A state championship. But growing up, it looked as though he would only be able to watch his friends accomplish such feats.

White was born with aortic stenosis, a congenital heart defect in which the aortic valve is too narrow, hindering the supply of blood to other arteries. At one point during his infancy, he was one hour away from leg amputation.

At five-weeks-old, White became the youngest person in the United States to undergo a special type of surgery where a catheter is inserted into the aortic valve of the heart to widen it. He was not allowed to play sports for the first 10 years of his life.

"It was hard. I always watched sports growing up, but I just couldn't go out and play competitively," White said. "I would always play with my cousins, just doing what I could without overexerting myself. Now, just being able to play is great."

White endured a second open-heart surgery when he was 12-years-old to replace two valves in his heart. He made a miraculous recovery, and when doctors cleared him with no restrictions, he eventually began making up for lost time. In addition to baseball, White also played basketball and football for Yuma Catholic.

The obstacles he had to overcome early in life largely remain unknown to his current teammates.

"He's never made it an issue, so I've never made it an issue, but it should be," Yuma Catholic coach Tom Kandler said. "It's probably had more of an effect on me than anyone else. To see what this kid's gone through says a lot about why his makeup is the way it is and why he's so tough."

White is enjoying his best season yet. The Shamrocks' leadoff hitter dramatically improved his batting average from .256 a year ago, to .422 this season. He also has a .558 on-base percentage while swiping 25 bases in 28 attempts.

Kandler said that White has as much baseball intelligence as anyone he's ever coached, and he added that he is almost like an extension of him on the field.

"The first time he was playing shortstop was when he was a sophomore and he was out there positioning seniors. That's what he's meant to us," Kandler said. "There are times when I just can't communicate with the players - they don't understand the lingo I'm using - and to have another person come up and tell them something, especially their peer, that means a lot.

"We're not losing a lot (of players) next year, but we are losing a lot. He's going to be tough to replace."

White is the only senior on a young, inexperienced Yuma Catholic ballclub that begins its run through state with a target on its back. Though he has been the catalyst on a talented, explosive offensive lineup, his main contribution to the team is perhaps intangible.

"This year is a lot more important because I have to make sure the guys stay in the game and focused," White said. "We have to want to win every game because everyone wants to beat us this year, and there's no way I want to go out with a loss. I have to be a leader on and off the field, vocally and by the way I play."

And the way White has played the game during his time at Yuma Catholic has left a lasting impression on his teammates and coaches.

"He's very dedicated and he plays hard," said Erick Martinez, YC's junior center fielder and White's good friend. "Every single game he just goes out there and just plays with all his heart."

Derrik Miller can be reached at

dmiller@yumasun.com or 782-6520.