Save (James) Farris: Ex-Wildcat, CWS hero is fighting for his life | Michael Lev

James Farris was the starting pitcher when Arizona captured the College World Series championship in 2012.

Thirteen years later, he’s looking for a save.

Shutting down South Carolina’s Christian Walker-led lineup in Omaha was nothing compared to the battle Farris is currently facing.

Just 33 years old and the father of a 2-year-old boy, Farris was diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer about two months ago. Like ERA, the higher the number, the worse it is. Stage 4 is the most advanced stage.

Although he knew something was wrong — Farris felt unusually dehydrated and fatigued, and his heart rate was elevated — the diagnosis came as a shock. Who would ever expect something like this to happen to a seemingly healthy former professional athlete in his early 30s?

“Initially, it’s like ... you’re falling into a deep pit,” Farris said in a recent phone conversation from his home in Jonesboro, Arkansas. “Then you’re like, ‘Well, all right, what do I need to do now?’”

If you’ve been through chemotherapy or gone through it alongside a loved one, you know how miserable the experience can be. Farris gets treatments every other week. It’s roughly 48 straight hours of chemicals being pumped into his body. The succeeding days are difficult. Once he starts feeling better again, the cycle begins anew.

Farris said he’s lost about 20 pounds. Work — he’s an HVAC technician — is out of the question.

“I wouldn’t be able to climb up into a 140-degree attic,” Farris said.

Playing with his son, Gatlin, can be challenging. Farris had to learn not to push himself too hard.

“In the little off time he gets (from treatment), he is able to,” said Farris’ wife, Madeline. “The days that he’s doing the chemo, and then the few days after, it’s too much to run around with a 2-year-old.”

If anything, Gatlin is an inspiration. The Farrises are determined to keep life as normal as possible for their son.

They also take inspiration from their loved ones, prayer and some promising initial returns on the chemo. They’re firm believers in the power of positivity. They see no other choice.

“It’s easy when you have a kid running around ... because he just does silly things throughout the day that makes you smile,” Farris said.

“Once I got diagnosed we sat down, made plans and said, ‘Hey, we don’t want this to affect Gatlin. We don’t want this to be my identity. Let’s try to just take it day by day. But really, just act normal. I’m still here.’”

Winning it all, moving on

Farris could be forgiven for not feeling like he was doing his part as Arizona rolled through the 2012 postseason. He didn’t pitch in the Super Regional series vs. St. John’s — a 2-0 sweep — or in any of the CWS games preceding Game 2 vs. South Carolina.

UA coach Andy Lopez debated whether to throw Farris — who hadn’t pitched in 22 days — or ace Kurt Heyer on short rest. Lopez left the decision in the hands of his team leaders. They voted for Farris.

“I’m very thankful for those guys giving me an opportunity,” Farris said. “I didn’t get to pitch in the Super Regional or in Omaha. ... So I was definitely itching to get in there and be a part of something special.”

Farris matched Gamecocks All-American Michael Roth pitch for pitch, allowing one run on two hits in 7⅔ innings. Farris exited with the score tied 1-1. Arizona scored three runs in the top of the ninth and held on for its fourth national championship.

Farris said that team was particularly adept at treating every game the same — not building it up too much in their heads. But Farris achieved an almost Zen-like state that night in Omaha.

“I call it the sixth sense of baseball,” Farris said, “where you get locked in — everything kind of blurs out, but you’re still playing. The focus level was just enormous.”

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Farris was a sophomore in 2012. He’d play two more seasons at Arizona before the Chicago Cubs selected him in the ninth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.

Farris played four years of pro ball. The Cubs traded him to the Colorado Rockies organization on the eve of the 2017 season, which would be his last. He made it as high as triple-A, appearing in 31 games for the Albuquerque Isotopes.

“I re-evaluated myself every year,” said Farris, who reached a point where “I need to move on with my life, maybe try to start a family, get a job or do something that I can live off of — start getting stuff in my name, like a house and car.”

Farris decided to move back home to Arkansas. He worked as a barista for his uncle at a coffee shop. That’s where he met Madeline, who knew nothing of his accomplishments on the diamond.

“We were working,” Madeline said, “and this guy, who was a big Cubs fan, would come through the line. He would always talk him up. He’d be like, ‘You know, James was a professional baseball player.’ And I was like, ‘OK.’ I had no idea about any of it.”

James and Madeline got married on Jan. 1, 2022. Then Gatlin came along. He’d be immersed in baseball — especially this time of year — whether he liked it or not.

“I make him watch it,” James Farris said with a chuckle. “I’m sure he’d rather watch ‘Bluey’ or something else, but we’re watching baseball when it’s on.”

And they’re playing in the backyard when James feels up to it. Gatlin loves swinging his Wiffle bat and trying to hit the ball.

“He’s got a really good arm too,” his proud papa said. “Might have something in the future.”

Love and support

On May 1, family friend Alexis Pilgrim launched a GoFundMe to support James Farris. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised 97% of its $50,000 goal — $48,503 via 271 donations.

You might recognize some of the contributors. They include many of Farris’ former teammates — Joey Rickard, Johnny Field, Konner Wade, Cody Moffett. Former UA athletic director Greg Byrne donated $1,000.

If James and Madeline have learned anything during this otherwise unpleasant ordeal it’s that they’re loved and supported more than they ever could have imagined.

“It speaks a lot for the people that we know and all the people that I’ve met throughout life,” James said. “It’s remarkable.”

“It’s honestly been unreal,” Madeline said. “We’ve gotten a ton of support. A lot of the people are people I don’t know. They’re James’ friends, or they’re friends of James’ parents. It’s just been crazy to see how generous everybody is.”

James described his and Madeline’s families as “unbreakable people.” If they need someone to watch Gatlin while James is getting a treatment, Madeline’s parents are a phone call away — even though they live about 40 miles away in the town of Pocahontas.

“It’s almost like nobody wants to say no,” James Farris said. “They’re just super generous.”

Lopez has done his part by texting scriptures and inspirational quotes to Farris every morning. Farris considers Lopez “a second father to me” and is forever grateful for teaching him and his teammates not just how to win baseball games “but how to be a good man off the field.”

“One day I was like, ‘Man, this is great. Keep it going,’” Farris said of the motivational messages. “It’s a great way to start my morning off and kind of gets me in the right headspace.”

His wife helps in that regard, too. She’s in medical school, studying to become a doctor. She’s a student, a wife, a mom and a translator when the Farrises meet with James’ medical team.

“That’s why I married her,” James Farris said. “She’s super intelligent.”

They say when you marry someone, you marry their family, too. Sometimes you don’t know how that will go. Sometimes it takes something serious to really find out.

James and Madeline have discovered that they’re surrounded by good folks.

“I’ve told James several times,” Madeline said. “This really makes me want to help people.”