Marian Catholic High School hosts send-off for ESPY-nominated Sister Mary Jo Sobieck

Sister Mary Jo Sobieck didn’t expect this amount of fanfare.

And how could she?

Nobody would’ve expected what was supposed to be a routine, ceremonial first pitch at the Sox game against the Royals on Aug. 18 would turn the Marian Catholic High School theology teacher into a viral sensation.

And even as she took in the scene at Marian Catholic on Tuesday morning, she still had a sense of disbelief.

“This is really something,” Sister Mary Jo said. “Who would’ve thunk it?”

Dozens of students and faculty gathered outside of Marian Catholic’s main entrance to send off Sister Mary Jo as she heads to Los Angeles for the ESPY Awards.

Her first pitch was nominated for the ESPYs’ “Best Viral Sports Moment.”

She’s competing against UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi’s perfect-10 floor routine, Texas A&M’s Infinite Tucker’s Superman dive to win the 400-meter hurdles at the SEC Championships, and Rudolph “Blaze” Ingram, a youth sprinter who went viral for his extraordinary speed.

As the students chanted her name before she got into the car to leave for the airport, Sister Mary Jo bounced a baseball off her bicep and threw one last pitch to one of the students — a reenactment of her throw to Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito.

“Wherever community I go to, I just kind of enter in and the community has embraced that,” Sister Mary Jo said. “Marian Catholic has been no different. This award is not just for me. It’s for all of those who voted, been inspired by it, encouraged the momentum of it to keep going.”

Sister Mary Jo said she’s most looking forward to being around the athletes she grew up watching, including Bill Russell, who will receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs, which are set to air live on ABC TV at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

She also plans to go to the Los Angeles Cathedral (she’s really looking forward to seeing the tapestries) and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which hosted the Olympics when she was a freshman in college in 1984.

Sister Mary Jo said she’s trying to stay humble. She just wants to be unapologetically herself and allow this honor to benefit the community.

“It just embodies the complete spirit of Marian Catholic,” Cecily Fultz, Marian Catholic director of marketing and communications, said. “Just who we are in terms of a community and all the values that she represents on behalf of the school.”

Fans can vote for the ESPY “Best Viral Sports Moment” online. Voting will end when the ESPY Awards start at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

While Sister Mary Jo still carries a competitive spirit from her collegiate softball career, she’s just happy with everything that’s come from this.

“It’s not so much about material goods as much as it’s about I’m strong in wanting people to come together and win as a human family,” Sister Mary Jo said. “Yes, I’m competitive. If I do not bring home the ESPY do I feel like I’ve lost? Absolutely not. All of this has been a win.”