By Matt Florjancic
MaxPreps.com
Three seasons ago, Jeanette Brezina stood in the pitcher’s circle at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds taking aim at Ohio Athletic Conference foes while playing for Baldwin-Wallace College. The right-hander from Valley Forge High School transferred to the Division III school from Tiffin University.
As a pitcher, Brezina ended her career with a 3.31 earned run average. In 347.2 innings-pitched, she struck out 138 batters and allowed 64 walks.
Now, Brezina goes by her married name, Jeanette Howard. She coaches the Strongsville High School softball team and led the Mustangs to the Regional Final last year before they fell to the Elyria Pioneers.
“We scheduled an extra, extra hard schedule,” Howard said of this season. “It’s probably three times as tough as last year. If we had the same schedule as last year, we’d have the same record. They really haven’t been blown out by anyone. They’ve been in a close game with everybody. There’s only one really bad game. We’ve played with the best of the best so far.
“Our two leaders are our captains, Patti Mariano and Allie Kolezynski. They’re definitely leaders. Megan Perry has really surprised us and she’s batting around the .420 mark. Nikki Peskura’s batting .450. She’s only a sophomore.”
While losing on the diamond may be difficult to handle, Howard is currently battling a much more powerful opponent that she is determined to beat. In February, the pitcher-turned-coach was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Even as she continues her recovery from the illness, Howard can still be found in the Strongsville dugout.
“A couple weeks before tryouts, I actually found out what happened,” Howard said of the diagnosis. “I didn’t want to quit on the girls at that point. With my health issue, I’m able to do normal activities. I felt like that would be the best for my recovery.”
“She is a very strong person,” Strongsville athletic director Joe Lynch said. “You don’t know what goes on behind the scenes in dealing with that. The positiveness with the way she’s been able to take it on and deal with it, it’s been just great to see that.”
The support she has received from the Strongsville community has given Howard hope in her fight with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“It’s extremely important,” Howard said. “Without them, I don’t think I’d be as positive, have a positive outlook like I do. They’ve just been there for me for everything, for every little thing I need. All my girls on my team and all the parents have been extremely dedicated to helping me get through this easier.”
Prior to Monday’s game against Medina, the Mustangs were 9-10. In the Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs, Strongsville earned the No. 4 seed in its bracket and will be in action Tuesday afternoon.
They will face either the Berea Braves or Howard’s alma mater, Valley Forge.
Before the playoffs began, Howard and Strongsville will serve as the host for a four-team tournament this Saturday, May 10. The Solon Comets, Eastlake North Rangers and Brecksville-Broadview Heights Bees will also participate in the event. The winners of the first round match-ups play at 2 p.m. at the high school field. The tournament will benefit cancer research.
“The participation and everybody volunteering [will make the event a success],” Howard said. “We’ve got many donations and we’re looking forward to a lot of people attending the event.”
“The credit goes to Jeanette,” Lynch said of organizing the event. “In the positive nature that she displays, she wanted to have a way to address this and make people aware of it at the same time. [It will] benefit the ‘Strikeout Cancer’ Fund by doing this event. We had the games already scheduled [and] just kind of designated that day to be a special day.
“You get the funds, get the research going and find a way."
Matt Florjancic, a freelance reporter and a sports show host for WOBL and WDLW, covers Northern Ohio for MaxPreps.com.
