Conner To Throw Out Pirates 1st Pitch

Nice touch by the Pittsburgh Pirates today as they’ve announced that Pitt running back James Conner will throw out the ceremonial 1st pitch this Sunday for the teams season opening game vs. St. Louis.

In a statement released by Pitt, Conner said, “I’m honored and thrilled to throw out the first pitch for the Pirates’ season opener and I want to thank everyone in the organization for this incredible invitation. It has been a long time since I played baseball but I’ll make sure my arm is ready to throw a strike on Sunday.  The Bucs’ road to the World Series begins this weekend and I can’t wait to be at PNC Park.”

Conner announced this past December he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and has been undergoing chemo treatments since then.  Conner latest treatment took place this past Monday and he currently has 3 more left.

Despite battling the cancer, Conner has been taking part in the Pitt Panthers spring practices and has been an inspiration to the team.