Jul 2, 2024 8 min read

South Fayette’s Schepis defies cancer to play baseball

By Eleanor Bailey

The Almanac

When life threw him a curve, Tyler Schepis leaned on baseball to conquer childhood cancer. Diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin lymphoma, the South Fayette infielder recovered from the disease enough to be competitive this spring.

“In baseball you need perseverance, mental toughness and a lot of resilience to be successful because it’s a very frustrating sport. There is a lot of failure in baseball. A lot of ups and down,” said Schepis

“So I had to attack my cancer in a similar way to baseball. I had to have a competitive mindset. Be tough and focused. It wasn’t really a question of am I going to get better. It was I am going to beat this because I am going to fight as hard as I can. I was going to be a warrior. Do whatever it takes.”

In 2022, Schepis was doing whatever was necessary for him to excel on the diamond, but in April, he discovered some “odd-shaped lumps” on the left side of his neck. Though medical tests reflected “mostly normal” results, Schepis met with a specialist at the hematology/oncology center at UPMC-Children’s Hospital. Though a wait-and-see attitude was adopted, Schepis exhibited additional symptoms. A biopsy revealed stage 3 cancer and it has spread from the left side of his neck through his chest and down to abdominal organs and surrounding areas.

South Fayette baseball coach Ken Morgan recalled hearing the terrible news. “It was a Thursday in early September,” he said with clarity. Morgan was attending the “Backyard Brawl” between football rivals Pitt and West Virginia when his cellphone rang.

“It’s scary to get that call,” he said. “I was so upset I left the game. I didn’t know what to do or what to expect.”

Schepis knew exactly what action the would take. Stay the course.

“At first it’s a shock. There are so many raw emotions,” he said. “You’re wondering what’s going on with my life. Am I going to let this overcome me or am I going to fight back. For me the best thing was to keep things as normal as possible and baseball was that one way to that because it’s always been a part of my life.”

Schepis continued to play. The Saturday after a port was placed into his chest to deliver the first of his 12 chemotherapy treatments into his veins, Schepis played in a doubleheader against Baldwin.

During the ensuing six months, good days were few and far between. The chemo regiment that was continued every other week through the end of February, took its toll.

Though he continued to attend school, play baseball and maintain a 4.1 GPA, Schepis took every Thursday and Friday off. Depending on he felt after being hooked up to a machine that streamed 10 different types of medicine through his body for up to seven to 10 hours, a Monday absence was also allowed.

“The chemo that I received was very, very intense. Brutal,” Schepis said. “I just tried to persevere, push through and remember all the support I had while I battled through this adversity.”

Of course, Ron and Brenda Schepis advocated most for their son. They never left his side. His baseball coaches held a game in his honor. His teammates and friends created t-shirts and sold them as a fundraiser.

“There was an overwhelming amount of support and that gave me courage, but it’s a really lonely process,” Schepis emphasized. “That was one of my biggest takeaways. You are really alone. You can have so many people cheering for you and rooting you on but, at the end of the day, it really was just me by myself, especially when I was the one getting the treatments. Feeling sick and drained and trying to stay motivated are difficult but the hardest thing to deal with is the loneliness.”

Baseball has been a way for Schepis to socialize.

“When I picked up a ball and bat for the first time, I fell in love with the game ,” he said.

Beyond Little League, Schepis’s passion for the game has spanned six additional years as he played AAU baseball during the summer with the Pittsburgh Titans as well as varsity baseball at South Fayette.

“I love just being out there on the field with all my friends,” he said.

This spring, Schepis had a blast. He anchored the infield at second base for the Lions, who finished runner-up in Section 2 and qualified for the Class 5A playoffs

Playing baseball, a sport in which he excels and that he loves, provides comfort for Schepis. He says it felt natural to him to be back on the diamond.

“I wasn’t the sick kid anymore. I wasn’t the cancer kid,” he said. “I could be myself and the ball player I always felt that I was. I didn’t have to feel different. Like an outcast. I could keep doing everything I loved to do.”

Through it all, Schepis said that baseball has been his savior. The sport helped him get better. Attitude, desire and dedication also contributed to his comeback, which enabled him to post a .464 on-base plus slugging percentage.

“Tyler is a scrappy, blue-collar player,” said Morgan. “He certainly gets the most out of what God’s blessed him with. He’s always dirty, diving and selling out for balls. He’s a kid who battles at the plate and is willing to do whatever it takes for the team to do well.

“Since he was a freshman, he has always been the first kid at practice. He’s a real example of dedication to always getting better and he’s one of our leaders. A vocal presence,” Morgan continued. “I’m extremely proud of him and how he’s matured into a well-rounded young man. His diagnosis was a huge shocker to everyone but to see him absolutely attack the disease with such a positive attitude is inspiring. It’s a testament to his will to overcome and that’s going to serve him well throughout life.”

In the fall, Schepis will attend the University of South Carolina and major in mechanical engineering, He hopes to play club or intramural baseball. Eventually, he plans to earn a masters degree and work in management for an engineering company.

“I don’t think there’s been a more influential experience in my life that will prepare you for the real world (than cancer) because it’s such a struggle. You go through the lowest of lows. You set to see what it’s like to go through hardships that most other people don’t. It’s been a real eye-opening experience. Now, I realize how insignificant some things really are and I have a more positive outlook when something inconvenient comes up. Overall, I think the experience has made me better off.”

The episode has also made Schepis an enthusiastic and energized crusader for cancer awareness.

While at South Fayette, Schepis has participated in Mini-Thon, which raised a national record $338,205.15 for Four Diamonds, an organization dedicated to the fight against pediatric cancer. Additionally, he led a team in raising more than $50,000 in funds for Leukemia, Lymphoma and Society. Plus, he served as a keynote speaker at the Coaches Vs. Cancer Event, which is another fundraiser for the disease.

What cancer patients need most is encouragement says Schepis. The biggest advice he offers is to “keep faith” because there is nothing more important than maintaining a positive outlook.

“Obviously, you don’t choose to get sick. When it happens, you can either cower in fear or you can say I am going to fight this and get better. Surrounding yourself with people who will lift you up and people who will love you is also extremely crucial.

“No matter what your situation, there is always hope,” he continued. “You should always keep battling and always do your best. I definitely wondered why me before but then I realized that there are a lot of people that have it worse than I do. There really is no excuse, especially in this situation or in life in general, for making excuses. If you want you can have pity on yourself but you still have to deal with what you are given. At times, you are not given the best situations but it’s all about how you react to them and how you make the most of them.”