When Adrian Mardueno finds himself in tough situations on the mound for San Diego State baseball, he steps off and reads a message he has written on the side of his glove: “I ♥ U MOMMA.”
The message is inspired by Mardueno’s mother, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, and it helps the junior pitcher refocus before getting back on the mound.
“I step off every time and any time something is going wrong,” Mardueno said. “I step off, I look at my glove and read that in my head, and that just clears my mind.”
Mardueno found success on the mound after throwing a combined 11 shutout innings against then-No.