Massage has become this 17-year-old athlete's secret weapon on the diamond

RYAN DEROSA THROWS, bats and catches. He plays pitcher, infield and outfield. The 17-year-old plays for his high school team and a traveling team. He's been chosen to play for two national teams. When he's not playing baseball, he's training for baseball season.

But two years ago, DeRosa added something new to his routine that changed everything. He became a member of Massage Envy in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

"My massage therapist, Jon, has been my secret weapon," DeRosa says. "I felt a lot of shoulder pain. I had some issues with my throwing arm. My legs were sore, and I was having problems with my knees and hips."

After his first massage, he immediately noticed the difference. "I felt funny, because my body felt right."

His mother, Amy, thinks back to Ryan's first massage. "I remember him telling me, 'I feel like I'm 6 again!'" she says.

Today, DeRosa gets a sports massage every week during the season to help him perform his best.

"It relaxes me physically and mentally," he says. "My best pitching performances come the day after a massage-without a doubt."

But the experience has been about more than relieving pain.

"What I really like about having Jon is that in the past two years, he's not only helped my problems physically," he says. "I've also learned so much about my body."

When he discusses his soreness, his therapist explains what the muscle is. "And he'll tell me about the things I can do before and after games and during the week to strengthen and help stretch those muscles out," he says.

DeRosa has been playing baseball since he was 3, and with just one more year remaining in his high school career, he aspires to play in college. And after that? Who knows. But one thing he does know is that massage plays a part in his future.

"I couldn't imagine not having massage as part of my plan," he says.