COLORADO SPRINGS — Undergoing chemotherapy, Luke Karel watched Ponderosa win last year’s Class 4A state baseball title from his room at Children’s Hospital, where he mustered the strength to make it from the bed to the chair to view the stream in his Mustangs jersey.
This Saturday, Karel — who battled acute myeloid leukemia all of last year before returning to the diamond this season — hopes his perspective after the final out is from the bottom of a dogpile.
Karel was diagnosed with the rare form of cancer last year, just before the start of Ponderosa’s season. He spent over 170 nights at Children’s Hospital and went through more than 40 rounds of chemo before beating the disease late last summer.
“Looking back a year ago, I was nowhere close to being under a dogpile for a state championship,” Karel said. “Coming back this year, I’m honored to fill a role on this team. I see myself on this team as someone who anyone can go to for motivation, a confidence boost, sharing a different outlook. I’m truly happy to be out there with my teammates and provide energy.”
The 6-foot-4 senior first baseman was down to about 145 pounds during treatment, but is now fully healthy and back up to 190. He’s been a positional reserve and bench bat for Ponderosa, which beat D’Evelyn 8-2 on Friday at UCHealth Park and is in Saturday’s 11 a.m. championship game against Cheyenne Mountain. The Mustangs are in the driver’s seat with a 5-0 mark in the double-elimination tournament.
Karel has been a key influence in the Ponderosa dugout all season, a year after he was able to attend only one game due to his chemotherapy schedule and hospital stays, which included a pair of ICU stints. Ponderosa dedicated its 2021 title run to the senior, making “Luke Strong” its motto and putting Karel’s initials on their hats and championship rings.
“Getting that state championship was for him,” said senior shortstop Dylan Carey. “We were playing for him the whole year and we always broke it down on ‘Luke Strong’ on three.”
When school got back in session last August, shortly after Karel “rang the bell” at Children’s Hospital signaling his all-clear from cancer, Karel got his due during a school-wide assembly.
“We gave him the trophy and (the whole team) told him we were all going to walk in right behind him into the gym,” Carey said. “But we had him go out there by himself, trophy in hand, and he got a standing ovation from all the students, teachers, everyone. Then, after a minute we rushed up behind him, with the state banner.
“It was surreal and we all got goosebumps when we saw him walk out with that state championship trophy, because that’s what we were playing for all year. From then on, Luke was super motivated to get back into baseball. He was eating nonstop, gaining weight back, gaining strength back from weight lifting….He went from being super skinny and really lanky to bulking up and becoming a big dude like he used to be.”
In 16 games this year, Karel’s hitting .231 with four RBIs. The highlight came in the regional title game against Thomas Jefferson when Karel roped a pinch-hit triple that he described as “pure bliss.”
But all along Karel’s comeback this year, he didn’t want any focus on himself. Senior third baseman Brant Jarvis noted Karel “doesn’t talk about his struggles. He’s kept his focus on baseball.”
“(Karel) was grateful we dedicated last season to him but when we started this year, he said, ‘It’s about all of us,'” Carey added. “The past few weeks, we’ve really become a family, and Luke’s a big part of that and helping us figure things out this year. He’s led us from being a team to being a family.”
For his comeback, Karel was awarded the Perseverance Scholarship from Douglas County School District. The 18-year-old is headed to the University of Kansas, where he hopes to play club or intramural baseball and study business administration on a pre-law track. He still has a hunger for the game, considering his empty 2021 and the fact his sophomore season was canceled due to COVID.
But the time Karel lost on the diamond pales in comparison to what he gained upon his return.
“This whole journey taught me perspective, patience, staying the course for the whole ride,” Karel said. “Baseball is one of those sports where failure happens more than success. For me this season, failure has happened more than success, but I’m a lot more patient (when I get out) and I’m trying to teach my teammates to be more patient, too, and trust the process and the people around you…. and hopefully some other things along the way.”
