Zane recovers to chase US dream

Baldivis teenager Zane Johnson compares his passion for baseball to eating — he cannot live without it.

The 16-year-old was selected for the Perth Heat Colts team set to travel to the US next week for a five-and-a-half week competition against college teams from Los Angeles to Nevada.

It is a major achievement for Zane who has overcome severe internal injuries that put him out of the game for 10 months.

Baseball has been on Zane’s mind since he played T-ball at age six and his American uncle would send him baseball caps.

“I became very passionate... as I started learning more about it, I was really intrigued,” he said.

“Baseball is more of a thinking game, you have to know the plays and the cuts and all the different pitches — it is a very sophisticated game.”

The Rockingham Rams Baseball Club player said he had achieved a lot since a simple game of wiffle ball, the American version of backyard cricket, turned his world upside down 15 months ago.

He said he was hitting his straps in the South Fremantle High School baseball program when a player, running to base, hit him at full speed.

The hit damaged his pancreas, resulting in part of it being removed, and lacerated his liver.

The injury caused Zane to lose 13kg, his strength and made him question whether he would play baseball again.

“Every week was a new mindset — it went from ‘I’m playing baseball’ to ‘stuff that, I’m not playing baseball again for the rest of my life’ ... I was very confused,” Zane said.

He left the baseball program and spent six months recovering and working on his fitness and strength in the gym.

It was not until December last year when Zane was invited to the Rams by former coach Jonathan Rodriguez that he decided to start swinging again.

“Something just clicked, and I knew I wanted to play again,” he said.

Zane described Rodriguez as his idol and motivator.

“He took me under his wing ... he actually let me come up the grades and play A-grade and AAA and men’s with him,” he said.

“I went from facing 13-year-olds to facing 36-year-old Arizona pitchers and I was stealing bases off them — I would just think to myself: ‘Am I really doing this’?”

After missing half of the season, Zane said he had trained relentlessly to prove to selectors he was ready for the Perth Heat.

“I’m thrilled that I’ve made it, but I’ve worked really hard for it,” he said.

He said he hoped to be noticed by scouts in America and to one day play college baseball.

“Now that I’ve been through this, I feel like I can do anything,” Zane said.