ESPN Nominates Dominican Sister Who Threw Curveball at White Sox Game for ESPY Award: "It's Kind of Surreal"

This is so awesome! Way to go, Sister Mary Jo!

ESPY nominated Sister Mary Jo Sobieck of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois for “Best Viral Moment” after she threw an amazing curveball at a Chicago White Sox baseball game last August.

ESPY (which stands for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly), recognizes top sports-related achievements throughout the calendar year. The ESPN website conducts ESPY’s public voting here.

“It’s kind of surreal,” Sister Mary Jo told Religion News Service. “Wanting to grow up to be an athlete and then to know I’m going to be there in the midst of the greatest of this generation — it’s going to be phenomenal.”

Sister Mary Jo, who teaches theology at Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Ill., said she dreamed of becoming a professional athlete or competing in the Olympics as a child.

“Sports fueled my everything. It was my fire,” she said.

She also explained that once she felt her call to the religious life, she “didn’t think that I could be passionate about anything more than sports.”

But she responded to her call, entering the Dominican Sisters at age 25.

According to the Religion News Service, “she is excited to see how God is using the gifts and interests she believes God gave her and hopes it will be an encouragement to others.”

“You don’t have to give up your gifts or the things you’re passionate about,” Sister Mary Jo said. “God integrates all of our gifts at a time when God wants to do that,” she said.

If you missed the video of her pitch, here it is below:

Click here if you cannot see the video above.

If you missed the video of her pitch, here it is below:

Click here to vote for Sister Mary Jo’s pitch as “Best Viral Moment”!