(Editor's note: This story originally appeared in the September 2024 edition of OCU's email newsletter, Stellar.)
OKLAHOMA CITY -- It wasn鈥檛 hard for Austin Worley and his teammates to see what was happening to their coach.
Cancer can take a toll on even the most resolute and determined people, after all. So it was the case for legendary 野狼社区 University baseball coach Denney Crabaugh. Though Crabaugh continued to show up at the ballfield through months of treatment, his players knew the coach was not well.
鈥淲atching Denney go through chemo and the side effects was horrible,鈥� said Worley, a freshman pitcher and catcher in 2022 during Crabaugh鈥檚 final season as coach. 鈥淗e still showed up every day ready to give us his all at any cost. He never missed a practice, game, or road trip even if he was drained from his heavy medical diagnosis.鈥�
Perhaps miraculously 鈥� or just through the sheer passion for the game his players knew him for 鈥� Crabaugh led the team into the opening round of the NAIA national tournament in May of 2022.
The team was eliminated on May 18, and less than two months later, Crabaugh was gone, passing away peacefully in his home, surrounded by family.
Worley said knowing what Crabaugh endured caused OCU鈥檚 players to marvel at the coach鈥檚 perseverance.
鈥淭his perseverance and dedication gave the team something to play for,鈥� he said.
It also planted a seed for Worley 鈥� a cell and molecular biology major who is minoring in chemistry and Spanish 鈥� that landed him in a biology lab next door to OCU鈥檚 baseball field working on research that may one day help prevent and cure cancer.
鈥淎fter Denney passed away, I saw that a new cancer research team was forming on campus,鈥� Worley said. 鈥淎fter watching him struggle, I wanted to join so that I could possibly help others in a similar situation.鈥�
Worley joined an undergraduate research team led by OCU associate biology professor Christina Hendrickson.
The research is centered on the anti-cancer properties of the common dandelion. Preliminary study has shown that dandelion seed extract has been effective in killing cancer cells, while leaving other types of cells unharmed. While Hendrickson and her team of OCU students will continue to investigate, the professor said the early results are promising.
鈥淭he results show the potential of dandelion as an anticancer remedy without possible side effects on the gastrointestinal tract's normal microbiota,鈥� she said.
The lab鈥檚 work has gained attention across campus, and across the state as well.
Research posters and presentations produced by Worley and his classmates claimed first place at both the 2022 and 2023 OCU Undergraduate Research Days competition, and in November of 2023, Worley and classmate Ashley Nguyen won first place overall in the undergraduate research poster competition at the End2Cancer Conference hosted by the OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center.
Nguyen, a 2024 OCU graduate with a degree in cell and molecular biology, said the potential for future real-world application of the research is 鈥渆xciting.鈥�
鈥淓specially for people who may like a more holistic approach to medicine or may not have access to cancer treatments like in many parts of the world,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving the ability to take a very common plant and utilize it as a cancer treatment would be exciting.鈥�
She cautioned, however, that the work is preliminary, and more investigation is needed.
It鈥檚 investigation that Worley and his more scientifically inclined teammates are happy to carry out.
They do this in the biology lab in OCU鈥檚 Dawson-Loeffler Center, just along the right field foul line of the baseball stadium. Worley said work includes swabbing agar plates to grow bacteria, counting cells, cell staining, column chromatography, pathway analysis, analyzing data, and more, including producing the research posters that have gone on to claim numerous awards.
Hendrickson said involving students in this type of work comes with many benefits.
鈥淚nvolving undergrad students in the research can provide a better educative system and attract more students to OCU,鈥� she said. 鈥淪tudents can learn how to design scientific projects, think critically, and enhance their teamwork and leadership skills.鈥�
Christina Hendrickson and Austin Worley.
Nguyen said the ability to take part in research was a key component of her OCU experience.
鈥淭his is an important offering for students because it gives us a space where we can independently investigate under professional guidance and gain personal experience, rather than just learning it in the classroom or from a book,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not only important, it's critical.鈥�
Worley echoed that sentiment, noting that he hopes the experience will help better prepare him for medical school and an eventual career as a physician and orthopedic surgeon.
The Fort Worth native said he鈥檚 always had an interest in science, and part of the reason he elected to attend OCU was to be able to play baseball at a nationally ranked NAIA school while also pursuing a career in medicine.
鈥淓ver since I was a child, I enjoyed all fields of science,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love problem solving, which is exactly what science is. Studying medicine allows me to use my knowledge for the betterment of society.鈥�
Worley acknowledged that combining games and practices with a full class load and lab work has been challenging, but he credits his professors 鈥� like Hendrickson 鈥� and his lab mates for being understanding and supportive.
He鈥檚 now riding that support toward a spring 2025 graduation date.
In the interim, Worley plans to continue his work with the cancer research team, with a goal of finding a treatment that leads to less side effects and a better prognosis.
鈥淭his opportunity is once-in-a-lifetime, and I wish that I would have found it sooner so maybe I could have helped Denney,鈥� Worley said. 鈥淚 hope to use this research to help others that have touched as many lives as Denney has.鈥�
