The University of Ottawa’s new pitcher has a killer throw and a thirst for competition, and he isn’t letting any physical disadvantages get in the way of his game.

Graham Spero was born with a deformed left hand. From a young age, his father taught him how to catch and throw a baseball with only his right hand.

“I was a little skeptical at first, but then after playing catch I just fell in love with throwing the ball,” Spero told CTV Ottawa.

Spero made the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees baseball team earlier in September, becoming the first one-handed pitcher to compete in Canadian post-secondary baseball.

He draws his inspiration from retired Major League pitcher Jim Abbot. Abbot was born without a right hand and played for several MLB teams, and is best known for pitching a no-hitter game in 1993 for the New York Yankees.

Spero modelled his catching technique off of Abbot. After catching the ball, he flips it back to himself while flicking his glove into the crook of his elbow.

The unique move sometimes takes the competition by surprise.

“Usually when I take the mound for the first time and a team hasn’t seen it before, they’ll try to bunt to me because they want to test my fielding skills. And I love that because it’s a free first out,” he said.

Spero’s love of sports drove him to find ways to adapt his hand with special prosthetics to play hockey, ride a BMX bike and lift weights at the gym. As a competitive kayaker, he dreamed of representing Canada at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. That goal was cut short after the event was taken out of the games, but Spero says he’s been “given a second chance through baseball.”

One coach says that Spero’s athletic aspirations are a strong reflection of his level of commitment.

“I know that he was working at a high caliber in another sport, so I already know that the work ethic is there,” said coach Matti Emery.

That spirit of determination is already rubbing off on the rest of the team.

“He’s very active in learning, and it kind of rubs off on the other players. He’s trying to be the best he can be, so why is anyone else making an excuse?” said pitching coach Roberto Suppa.

With a report from CTV Ottawa