Ethan Lamontagne’s battle with brain tumor inspired East Union teammates to reach 2A state title series
PEARL, Miss. (WCBI)- The East Union Urchins are just one win away from their second consecutive 2A baseball state championship, but a state title this year might be more special for off-the-field reasons.
Freshman Ethan Lamontagne’s adversity began two and a half years ago. After consistent headaches, he went to a specialist.
“They told me I had a brain tumor in the back of my head,” Ethan said. “I had surgery and they told me there was a chance it would come back.”
The tumor came back at the beginning of this season. He had brain surgery again to remove it and just completed six weeks of radiation therapy. Not only was it a success, but Ethan would often go right from treatment to suiting up for the Urchins the same day. His teammates were a big reason he had the strength to do so.
“They really kept me up and showed me that even though I am going through all of this, they really care. They’re still here and still show me they love me,” Ethan said.
His courage throughout treatment impressed his father Eric, along with head coach Jamie Russell.
“He’s tough as nails,” Russell said. “Great kid, great family. The family has been through a lot.”
“They’ve been with him through all of his treatments and have been rooting him on,” Eric said. “He will root them on if he’s on the bench, playing, it don’t matter.”
Ethan’s resilience has inspired those close to him off the field.
“Sometimes the dad is supposed to teach the kid something but he’s taught me a lot, like how strong a kid can really be going straight from St. Jude to playing ball,” Eric said.
“A lot of people look up to me. I don’t want to have a big head about it or say it like that. I guess it just shows that baseball is more than just a game. There’s family involved and you need to have a passion for this game to play it,” Ethan said.
Ethan’s toughness is a big reason his teammates are in a position to win a 2A state championship. They currently lead Pisgah 1-0 in the series, won Game 1 convincingly 14-0 and his teammates and coaches said they’ve been so successful because of him.
“They come together for him and each other and they know what he’s going through and what type of kid he is,” Russell said. “They see that you can’t take for granted that you might not be able to play this game every day.”
What the Urchins have been through would make bringing home the hardware that much sweeter.
“It’s been a tough year and we’ve all been through a battle. When one of us battle, we all battle,” Ethan said.
“It’d be great for our community, his family and East Union baseball,” Russell said.
Ethan has a scan appointment on June 15th and then if everything goes well, he will have checkups once every three months to make sure everything is OK. The Urchins will look to clinch the 2A state title Friday at 1 pm.
