Ready to play after chemo

It was the kind of comeback that teenager Ryan Freydig had hoped for during his 100 hours of chemotherapy.

Diagnosed with testicular cancer two days after Christmas, the Hemet high school senior had to put much of his life on hold. That included his role as a starting pitcher for the West Valley High School Mustangs baseball team.

But on Tuesday afternoon, in front of cheering family and teammates, Ryan, 17, nervously stepped up to the mound and pitched for the first time since his diagnosis and treatment.

Ryan, the number 7 emblazoned upon his uniform, struck out the first batter. And the second. And the third.

“You don’t think about anything else in the world when you’re absorbed in playing baseball,” he said in a phone conversation during a break between the third and fourth innings. “The energy today is invigorating.”

In early December, Ryan told his father, Francisco Freydig, that he suspected he had testicular cancer after researching his symptoms on the Internet. He had been fatigued and in pain.

On Christmas Day, he was rushed to a hospital and tested. Eight days later, he underwent surgery.

“He told me, ‘Dad, it’s no big deal; they just have to remove it,’ ” Francisco Freydig said. “He’s been so calm throughout the process and made a miraculous recovery I could only attribute to God and prayer.”

The American Cancer Society estimates that 7,920 new cases of testicular cancer were diagnosed during 2007. Although other types of cancer are more prevalent overall, testicular cancer ranks as the most common in the U.S. for males ages 15 to 34.

Ryan trained with the Mustangs through chemotherapy treatment but did a lighter workout.

Still, he missed the first half of the season. He returned two weeks after his last chemotherapy session.

The team played Tuesday against the Whitney High School Wildcats from Cerritos at a field in Covina.

But the Mustangs went on to win 29-0, in a game called after four innings because the lead was so large.

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francisco.varaorta@ latimes.com

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Times staff writer Francine Orr contributed to this report.