From college baseball at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to starting a brief professional career pitching for the Kansas City Royals organization in 1999, Brent Rasmussen wasn’t far removed from reaching potentially the highest level of competition in the sport he loved.
It all changed in 2002, when a roadside accident cost him the use of his legs.
As a double-amputee from being struck by a vehicle while assisting a motorist in distress, the horrors of that accident still relatively fresh, Rasmussen felt lukewarm at first to the idea of playing wheelchair softball for the Nebraska Barons in Omaha.
So when Barons manager Bruce Froendt read Rasmussen’s story and was compelled to reach out in 2003, Rasmussen was hesitant about responding. Eventually, they connected, and on the first day they chatted, Froendt convinced Rasmussen to check out the team later that day at practice.
It was then that Rasmussen became sold on playing ball again.
“Once I got to know [the Baron players] more personally and knowing that they went through the same stuff that I went through, it was great to have a different kind of team that I’ve never been exposed to or thought I’d ever have,” said Rasmussen.
Froendt, the Barons’ manager since 1998, recalled that first day Rasmussen showed up. “He had dress slacks on and a dress shirt. We got him a T-shirt, and he sat down in a chair and tried it out.”
Now, Froendt thinks Rasmussen, 47, is the greatest wheelchair softball player ever. Froendt bases that premise on the number of most valuable player awards, all-tournament selections, and batting statistics Rasmussen has compiled through the years.
“He has, in his 21 years, exceeded and excelled far beyond anyone who’s ever played the game,” said Froendt. “That’s one testament and one reason the team has had the success it’s had. He’s been the anchor and undoubtedly, unquestionably, the greatest player.”
At the International Wheelchair Softball World Series in August 2024, at the First Intersate Bank Sports Complex in Valley, the Barons finished as the runner-up to the Minnesota Rolling Twins for the third year in a row. But with Rasmussen in left field, the Barons have captured the IWSWS championship 13 times, including the first two years Rasmussen played with them. They also have reached the IWSWS championship game in 19 of Rasmussen’s 21 years with the team.
Playing left in wheelchair softball is regarded as the most difficult position on the field. As great a left fielder as former University of Nebraska standout Alex Gordon was for the Kansas City Royals, he wasn’t expected to throw runners out at first, like left fielders in wheelchair softball.
“Most balls [in wheelchair softball] are hit to shortstop and into left field naturally,” said Froendt. “In this game, balls that are hit to the outfield aren’t base hits. They’re often, with a good outfielder, outs.”
Rasmussen was the long-sought good outfielder Froendt envisioned.
Gifted with a strong arm, Rasmussen adjusted quickly from a professional baseball pitcher to a top-notch left fielder in wheelchair softball with the Barons.
“It’s interesting. It’s a mix between baseball and softball,” said Rasmussen. “I feel it has the speed of baseball, but the size of softball. It’s a blend of both and totally something different to watch as well.”
Especially considering the game is played on a hard surface as opposed to grass. But winning baseball always comes down to hitting and defense, with Rasmussen still holding his own at both.
“I’m still playing left field and still throwing the long ball out there,” said Rasmussen. “You’ve got to have a good, accurate arm. That’s how I got out there.”
What keeps him out here is the camaraderie.
“The Barons have been a big family for 20 years plus,” said Rasmussen, the Ralston High graduate who has been in the mortgage business full-time since the end of his professional baseball career. He earned his degree at UNO in small business management.
“All I’ve known is the mortgage business,” said Rasmussen. “It’s worked out very well for me to be flexible, especially with all the sports that I play.”
While also playing wheelchair volleyball and basketball, Rasmussen is inspired by the stories behind each of his teammates.
“I think it’s huge,” he said. “I think it’s been probably one of the best things for me, my mentality of continuing in life and seeing other people have challenges. They’ve made it through.”
So has Rasmussen.
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2024 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.