Wharton High baseball team rallies around teammate, advances to first final four

FOX 13's Sean Barie reports.

TAMPA - Anthony Markle knew his first season in charge of the Wharton High baseball team would be memorable, but could never have imagined just how memorable it would really be.

"Little by little I found out there was something special here," Markle said.

It was as memorable as it was, at times, emotional.

The backstory:

Before even stepping onto the field for the 2025 season, the Wildcats were already down a man.

In May 2024, junior pitcher Brody Turer was diagnosed with leukemia and would miss the entire 2025 season.

"I actually had two forms of leukemia, that was ALL and AML," explained Brody.

"That’s a one in 25 million chance or something crazy like that."

Brody's teammates refused to let their pitcher fight alone.

They sent messages of encouragement, visited Brody in the hospital and some shaved their heads in solidarity.

"Them doing that was beyond anything I could ask for," said Brody.

Dig deeper:

After months of treatment, including surgeries to remove part of his right lung, right arm, and right leg due to complications from his stay in the hospital, Brody was determined to return to the diamond.

"Any time someone told me I couldn’t do something, I just wanted to prove them wrong," Brody said.

Brody Turer would do just that.

Halfway through the season, the junior pitcher walked back onto the field and climbed the mound once more.

"I still feel like it’s a dream sometimes. Just being where I am is a miracle," said Brody.

A year after his diagnosis, Brody's cancer is fully in remission as the Wildcats turned Brody's fight into their own.

"It was just motivation," said senior outfielder Drew Cobb.

"He did that, so that gave us the inspiration to do what we can do."

And what the Wildcats could do was nothing short of making team history as they advanced to the state final four for the first time ever.

What's next:

"We’ve cemented our name in Wharton History. There’s nothing else like it," said senior infielder Justice Meadows.

It was history made thanks to the fight shown, not just by one player, but by an entire team, together.

"It’s everything you could dream for," said Markle.

"It’s like a storybook."

It's a story that goes beyond any box score or baseball diamond.

The Source: FOX 13's Sean Barie interviewed the people featured in this story.

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