USF Baseball Player Returns to the Field After Beating Cancer

Instead, doctors found a tumor the size of a small melon. They diagnosed him with stage 4 round cell sarcoma, a cancer that attacks soft tissue and bone. It had spread to nearby lymph nodes and to his lungs. He was given a 13 percent chance of survival.

Nystrom started treatment right away at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. He had 14 rounds of chemotherapy, three surgeries, and 35 rounds of radiation. He took a leave of absence from the university and from the team.

But the team never left Nystrom.

“The biggest thing that helped me throughout my entire treatment is the support system I have from my family and friends,” Nystrom said. “They had the biggest impact being there every step of the way. The team was reaching out to me all the time. Coach Rob DiToma came to visit me in the hospital. They delayed practice to come watch me ring the bell when I finished treatment. The nurses couldn’t believe it.”

Meanwhile, the baseball team struggled through a 21–34 season in 2024, while Nystrom was going through treatment. Still, they hung his jersey in the dugout before games and put stickers with his number, 48, on their helmets.

After his treatment, during which his entire left hip flexor was removed, Nystrom took another year to learn how to walk again and to regain his strength. Then, in fall of 2025, the team welcomed him back.

“He fought through it, and he never complained,” said teammate Trevor Harmon. “He put his head down and fought as hard as he could.”

When Nystrom returned to practice on the baseball field, he “started dropping bombs, hitting balls, and yelling after every ball,” Harmon said.  “He was inspiring all of us.”

The team started to play better. Nystrom’s family and friends, his oncologist, one of the nurse practitioners who cared for him, and a whole group of fans cheered USF on to a winning 2026 season, supporting them all the way to the West Coast Conference tournament. The Dons defeated Santa Clara, Gonzaga, and Pacific to advance to the championship game against St. Mary’s. The Gaels won 7–6.

“It was just a great season,” said Nystrom, who hit a couple home runs in the tournament and was named to all-tournament team. “It was some of the most fun baseball I’ve ever played. I’ve played baseball my whole life and it wasn’t until it was taken away that I truly understood how much it meant to me.”

Now, Nystrom and Harmon are getting ready for another season, with practice starting Aug. 20. Nystrom graduates with a degree in environmental science in May, but he has a new passion.

“I would like to become a nurse,” Nystrom said. “I got great care from my healthcare team at UCSF. The nurses made such a huge impact on me and they were super helpful. If I could do that for another person that would be really fulfilling.”

He also speaks with children who are going through treatment at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. “The situation sucks,” Nystrom said. “It’s just horrible. And younger kids than me are going through this. If I can help them or support them, I will.”

USF Coach DiToma said it has been his pleasure to be Nystrom’s coach and to have had a small part of this journey with him.

“Jackson came to USF with high hopes of being a difference maker on the field,” DiToma said. “Little did we all know he would become much more than a student athlete. Jackson is truly inspiring and his story needs to be told so that anyone going through hard times can see, if you keep fighting and keep believing and have a cause, you can overcome the odds.”