Marian's Sister Mary Jo Loses ESPY Competition To UCLA Gymnast

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — Marian Catholic's Sister Mary Jo Sobieck may have thrown a perfect strike, but it wasn't quite enough to land her a 2019 ESPY award. She lost out to UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi’s "perfect 10" routine for the “Best Viral Sports Moment" award.

Last August, Sobiek took the mound and followed a quick ball trick with a perfect strike to Lucas Giolito while throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Chicago White Sox against the Kansas City Royals on "Marian Catholic Night" at Guaranteed Rate Field.

The video wowed the south suburbs — and the country — and her curveball also earned her a bobblehead and a Topps baseball card. In June, she appeared on Nickelodeon's "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader."

Beloved as the video was, Sobiek was facing tough competition. According to the Chicago Tribune, ESPN reported that Sobieck's video had 5 million views when it entered the competition.

However, Ohashi’s video had 43.5 million views on YouTube through May.

You can see the other contenders for the award at the ESPY Awards website.

At her send off to Los Angeles for the awards ceremony this week, Sobiek told fans what her viral moment meant to her.

"This journey is about being down to earth and wholehearted. It's about we not me," explained Sister Mary Jo. "The joy and enthusiasm that I approach every appearance with is inspiring people, I hope, to be witnesses of joy and enthusiasm in their own lives, too. The opportunities I've been given to engage people and draw them into an experience of how God wants to use them gives momentum to the first pitch, creating something of a conspiracy of hope and truth in a world where doubt and despair loom large."

Sobiek will always be a first in Chicago Heights' hearts.