Click the thumbnails to hear comments from Alex Ortman, and to see photos and videos.
NORWAY---From the time he was a little kid, Alex Ortman loved sports. And growing up, he got involved in pretty much every sport he could be a part of.
As he got older, Ortman looked up at his older brother Connor, who starred for the Norway High School basketball team and went on to play at Lakeland University (Wis.) for four years.
Well, now it's Alex Ortman's turn.
And he is going to one-up his big brother by playing two sports in college. He signed his National Letter of Intent to play both baseball AND basketball at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C.
Not bad for a young man who, like his older brother, is legally deaf.
But, also like Connor, Alex Ortman has never let that be an issue.
Ortman, thanks to a cochlear transplant, can hear you just fine, as long as you don't mumble at him. And now he plans to suit up for the Gallaudet Bison, a private, NCAA-III school that is the only NCAA member school to offer deaf-led athletic teams.
“The reason I picked there is the environment, a change, a new spot to live, and I just wanted a new opportunity,” Ortman said in an interview with RRN Sports. “I'm going to study criminal justice. It's a good place to study criminal justice because of all the government stuff out there.”
On the basketball court, Ortman was an All-U.P. Division Four First Team selection in his junior year, and recently crossed the 1,000 point mark for his Norway Knights career. He scored 32 points in a late-January win over Florence.
On the baseball field, Ortman has had a solid career on the pitcher's mound, playing for both the Knights and the Norway Vikings American Legion Baseball team in the summer. Last year for the Knights, he had a tiny 0.933 Earned Run Average.
And in football, Ortman was an All-U.P. Dream team selection in Eight Man as a receiver for the Knights this past fall. He was also named to the Associated Press All-State Second Team.
But he won't be playing THREE sports for the Bison. Two sports is enough.
“I felt like it was a good fit for me to be there, play some ball, and focus on getting my degree,” Ortman said. “I just want to thank my parents and my brother for helping me to achieve this goal of playing at the next level. I also want to thank my coaches and my teammates for pushing me to be better than the person I was years ago.”
Ortman was also picked to play on the USA National Under-21 Deaf Basketball team this July, at an event to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Connor Ortman also played on that USA team several years ago. Family tradition continues.
So, what's the game plan?
“Just work my butt off,” he said. “It's a great opportunity to be able to play at the next level, and I'm really blessed.”
