Wednesday, April 22, 2009

School’s Top Pitcher is Deaf

Cascade High’s Brian McPartland is a standout athlete at the Everett, Washington school. He’s the baseball team’s number one starting pitcher with a 3.04 ERA and carries a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average. McPartland reads lips and uses hearing aids. The teenager credits sports with bringing him out of his shell. The team uses special signals to help when he’s pitching. If McPartlan doesn't see or hear a runner attempting to steal a base, the catcher will raise both hands high. If someone hits an infield pop-up, fielders use hand signals to indicate which player should catch it. McPartlan plans to attend Everett Community College. Here's a video interview with him from the local newspaper.