By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
Paula Wilkerson remembers times when she had to pull over on the side of the highway while driving her son, Sean Semple, to baseball tournaments in Myrtle Beach, S.C. She’d have to stop multiple times on the way from her home in Swedesboro because the chemotherapy was making her sick.
She was 40 years old, newly divorced, going through nursing school, battling cancer and trying to do whatever she could to help facilitate her son’s dream of one day suiting up in the major leagues.
Semple, a 2014 Paul VI graduate, was back on campus in Haddonfield in late March to give a speech to current Eagles players, and tell his story of overcoming some huge obstacles on his way to continuing his professional baseball career to this very day. Originally drafted by the New York Yankees out of the University of New Orleans, Semple spent six years in the minor leagues, logging more than 450 innings and posting 32 wins and a 4.33 earned-run average. He’s currently playing for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball — an independent partner league of Major League Baseball.
It’s been a long journey for Semple, one that he wanted to share with current Paul VI players at the school’s “Media Day” festivities in the final week of the preseason. When Semple was in eighth grade, a coach told him he was too overweight and not good enough to ever play at the high school varsity level.
But that didn’t stop Semple. It only fueled him.
He got himself in shape with the help of a trainer, but then hit another roadblock, missing his entire junior year at Paul VI after having Tommy John elbow surgery. All the while, Semple didn’t know whether his mom would live or die after having been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“It’s every mom’s dream,” Wilkerson said of seeing her son drafted by the New York Yankees and having a career in professional baseball. “He had such dedication, he was true to himself and constantly trying hard. When he was told (he wasn’t good enough) he fought for it, he worked hard. He started working out with a trainer. Seeing him jump over every hurdle that’s been put in front of him is worth everything. It’s such a joy watching a kid grow, in his skills and in his dreams.
“I had just gotten divorced and he was my big strength. He would constantly tell me about what he was doing in school and what he wanted to do, and that kind of drove me to keep going,” she continued. “His trainer would stop over, and I would say to him, ‘why me, at this time? I have too much to do for (Sean).’ And he said, ‘why not you?’ God only gives you what you can handle, and you’re going to be able to help other people.’”
“The moment that really solidified my love for baseball was in 2008 when the Phillies won the World Series — when (Phillies relief pitcher) Brad Lidge jumped up (after the final out) right into Carlos Ruiz’s arms — that, right then, was like, ‘that’s what I want to do with my life.’ From that moment on, it wasn’t just a game, it was my passion,” Semple said during his speech. “But not everyone believed in that passion. In eighth grade, I had a coach tell me that I wasn’t going to play because I was overweight and not good enough. That day, I could have quit, could have hung ’em up, could have listened to him, but I let it fuel me. And from that moment on, I wasn’t going to let anyone decide what I was going to do. Ever since then, that fueled me, every single year.
“Instead of giving up after I had Tommy John surgery, I attacked my rehab,” he continued. “I showed up every day and put in the work. By the start of my senior year, I was back on the mound, stronger than I was before, and that season I earned first-team all-conference.”
Semple is up against another road block, as he tries to work his way back into the minor leagues, and, hopefully, one day putting on a major league uniform. He’s a pitcher who throws in the mid-90s with his fastball, and as long as he can keep doing that he might have a chance. He briefly was picked up by the Seattle Mariners after his time in the Yankees organization, and now finds himself digging deep within himself to try to give it one more shot as he closes in on age 30.
“It’s huge (to hear that). Just because you’re down, doesn’t mean you’re out, and just because somebody says you can’t play this game it doesn’t mean you can’t. You just have to file that away and get better,” said current Paul VI head coach DM Phillips. “He had every reason not to continue to work hard. Life has had him down, but he’s gotten through it, and it’s an inspiration, honestly. I hope my guys were paying attention. Just because life beats you up sometimes doesn’t mean you have to stay down.”
“Talent will get you noticed, but it’s your mindset that will take you where you want to go. I wasn’t the most naturally gifted player growing up. In fact, when I was younger, I was pretty overweight, but I loved sports,” Semple said. “I always dreamed about being a ballplayer, even when others didn’t believe in me.”
“We would have to stop and pull over (because I would get sick). It was a constant, but I wouldn’t give up,” Wilkerson said, reminded of those tough times when her son was younger. “He was playing for a team down in Myrtle Beach and it was a great opportunity. Whatever I could do, I knew he had something in him. I could just feel it. It was one of those mom things, I could just feel his drive and dedication.”
Wilkerson said she now tries to give others going through cancer strength based on everything she’s been through, and she continues to tap into the strength and dedication her son shows in chasing his baseball dreams.
“There are times when you have strength and times when you wonder what your purpose is. I always refer to the book “The Purpose Driven Life” (by Rick Warren). I’ve read it, and continue to read it,” she said. “Honestly, through the grace of God, he kept feeding me, you’re going to use this for other people. I’ve used it to counsel a lot of people going through cancer who have come back strong. Sean was a rock, he would always say I was going to get through it. He would always talk about Major League Baseball. I could see that light in his eyes and I was just driven by that.
“We’re going to keep this dream going and see what happens. I’ll continue driving to games until there are no more games to go to.”
