"The Final Inning - My View From the Stands" (8/8)

The 2018 Seniors

Official practices began in February of 2018 for Bryce’s senior baseball season. The last rodeo. Man… I was not ready for this to end.

Adding to the emotions of this final season was the fact that he had decided about a year earlier that he would not be seeking to play baseball in college. That revelation hurt a little bit. He had certainly developed his skill-set to the point where he could have played college ball somewhere. But this was his life and his choice.

I did my best to mask my disappointment. I had visions of four more years of chasing him around the country as he played at the next level… just as I had with three of his sisters. But this was totally selfish on my part. He didn’t make the wrong decision. He made the decision that best suited his plans for the immediate future. Good for him. But… ugh!

We started the season in Kentucky, just east of Louisville. And… not much went right, unfortunately.

Mother Nature decided she was going to be difficult. She threw rain and ice and cold temperatures that led to game cancellations and some rescheduling.

We got three games in the books and lost them all.

Quaid Gatewood, Bryce's Battery Mate
Bryce started on the mound against Scott County, who just happened to be the #1 ranked team in the state of Kentucky, in their large school division. This team was absolutely loaded from top to bottom. Not an easy out anywhere in their line-up. And it was U-G-L-Y! It was one of about only three times in his pitching career where he got manhandled. He gave up 8 runs in the first and only inning. And just to be equal opportunity abusers, they rocked our next pitcher for 8 runs in his one inning plus of work. Ouch!

The player's cabin in Bagdad, Kentucky
So… the nasty weather and the Scott County slaughter was bad enough. But on top of that, Bryce failed to get a hit in any of the three games. If it wasn’t for the cool house the players and coaches got to stay in… the entire trip would have been a disaster. First world problems!

Back on our home soil, the season resumed and it wasn’t long before Bryce hit his stride at the plate, on the base paths, on the mound and in the field. His batting average climbed north of .300 and with his uncanny ability to draw walks, his on base percentage pushed .500.

Being on base so much, he really took the opportunity to swipe bases on a regular basis. His foot speed had dramatically increased over the years. I can remember as a kid, he seemed to run flat footed. But no more, as he racked up the stolen bases. Rarely did he get caught.

One cool thing about the 2018 season was that
Northwest High School was finally in a league after years of playing a free-lance schedule. The Indians were one of the early favorites to win the PAC 7. Unfortunately, the championship didn’t quite materialize.

Cory Burroughs and Bryce shared the starting pitcher duties in just about every league game. It was in those games where Bryce hit a pretty good streak on the mound, as he won 4 consecutive league games. His efficiency on the mound was incredible, averaging a stingy 12 or 13 pitches per inning. The kid threw strikes. Several of those wins were complete game wins. You don’t see pitchers pitch complete games anymore… at any level. But Bryce had a thing about finishing them out and was always disappointed if he had to come out.

Bryce, at the PAC 7 Banquet
Bryce was honored at the end of the season with an All Conference Honorable Mention for his work on the mound. It was cool watching him get his award at the PAC 7 banquet with all the other honorees from the various spring sports.

Mark Szekely and I manned the press box at all the home games. Mark operated the scoreboard and I handled the public address duties. The press box became a popular hangout spot for former players and others. They either liked hanging out with Mark and me… or they were attempting to escape the cool temperatures and brisk breezes. I’m choosing to go with the former. 😉

The night that I had so dreaded, finally arrived. Senior Night. This wasn’t the final game of the season, but it was the final home game of the season. What an emotional night.

"Hey Dad, you wanna have a catch?"
Coach Mac secretly arranged for all of us dads to bring our gloves and warm-up our sons on the field before the game. What a cool experience that was! Coach said that we were the ones who started our sons playing baseball when they were little and it was only fitting that we ended their baseball days in the same way that they started. Thanks Mac... that was beautiful!

Bryce had spent so many hours on that field with practices and games. The high school teams, summer teams, fall teams… hour upon hour… year upon year.

All of the seniors and their parents were announced individually as the players escorted their parents out to the first base line. I probably should have just soaked in the moment and its meaning… but I knew I would lose it if I did… so I occupied my mind with other thoughts and managed to make it through the ceremony with dry eyes.

Waterworks after Senior Night
I don’t even remember who won the game on Senior Night. I just remember the players raking the field, filling in the holes and sweeping the dugout… as was their routine after home games. I waited for Bryce as I chatted with other parents.

At some point, I noticed that most of the parents and players had headed to the school building where a reception was planned to honor the seniors. It was dusk and as I glanced out toward the field. It appeared empty.

I jogged over to the school building and scanned all the faces… but Bryce wasn’t among them. I walked back toward the field… squinted… and finally saw the silhouette of a lone figure… standing alone in the dark… in a familiar spot. Centerfield. Guess the kid wanted some alone time on a spot where he had spent so much time.

Line-up card from Senior Night
In his later years of playing, two of Bryce’s coaches told me that he was the best outfielder that they had ever been associated with… be it a player they coached or they had played with. That is a pretty cool compliment and a tribute to his years of toil.

The Northwest Indians finished the season with a 15-13 record. After beating Coventry in the sectional semi-final game, we got knocked out by a good Louisville team in the finals.This was not the outcome and ending that we had hoped for but we weren't writing the script.


Jeana and I were treated to one last game as Bryce was chosen to play in the Dumont’s All Star Classic. Bryce pitched two perfect innings and picked up the win. He also played centerfield and got a hit, along with a walk (of course) in three at bats.

And then... poof… it was over. Just like that.

Thank you, son… for letting your old man tag along with you on this incredible journey of a lifetime. You will never fully realize what this time has meant to me. I will cherish these memories forever, Bricky.

Love you, Son.

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