Ever since he was a little kid competing in t-ball, baseball has been in Tristin Crusenberry’s blood. The former Apollo Eagle now has the opportunity to compete on the world stage, having recently been named to Team USA Deaf Baseball.
“This is an amazing opportunity,” Crusenberry said. “It was a surreal feeling to try out and join the team.”
Crusenberry was invited to a tryout after he acknowledged that the coaching staff found him via ChatGPT. Traveling to Austin, Texas, for the tryout, which was held on Oct. 4, the former Eagle flashed on the mound. He faced four batters, striking out a pair and not allowing a runner.
The coaching staff also tested him in the field and at the plate, something he hasn’t done since he was still at Apollo over four years ago. Crusenberry showed no signs of rust, going 2-3 with a single and a double and making one play on defense.
“It was so fun to hit. I miss hitting so much,” Crusenberry said. “When I got a double in the first at-bat, it was an amazing moment, and I just missed that feeling.”
From Nov. 1-3 in 2026, Team USA will compete in the second-ever World Deaf Baseball Championship in Kanagawa, Japan. Competing in the inaugural event in 2024, Team USA finished second against five total countries. This time around, there are a total of nine planned countries competing
“It’s pretty sick to be named to Team USA,” Crusenberry said. “To represent the home country, especially the deaf community, is a big deal.”
Before he joins Team USA in the fall, Crusenberry has his sights on his final year at Campbellsville University, where he has emerged as one of their top arms. After graduating from Apollo in 2021, he began his colligate career at the Junior College level (JUCO), attending Olney Central.
He redshirted during his first year, and for the first half of the 2023 season, he pitched out of the bullpen before being given a chance in the rotation. In his first-ever college start, he threw a complete-game shutout, which marked his head coach’s 1,5000th win.
“I never threw a complete game in my life,” Crusenberry said. “I believed in myself. I kept throwing strikes and just let the ball and game do the work for me. I struck out a banner for the final out, and I couldn’t believe it. It was a rollercoaster feeling, and I felt like I was dreaming. I saw my coach crying for his 1,500 win, and it was an awesome opportunity to do that for him.”
Crusenberry transferred to Campbellsville for the 2024 season, leading the team in innings with 59 1/3. He battled an illness during the 2025 campaign, but now fully healthy, he looks to return to his former dominance on the mound.
Throughout Crusenberry’s baseball career, this marks his first chance to compete for a deaf team, an opportunity he isn’t taking likely.
“Sign language is my first language, and I have spent more time talking than I have spent signing my entire life,” Crusenberry said. “I really miss being around deaf people, not using my voice, and just signing. The hand motions feel like poetry. I’m hoping to bring inspiration to the deaf community by knowing that anything is possible when you believe in yourself. My Dad has always taught me that since I was a kid, and that has taken me to the places I have been to.”
