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Jupiter Was A Lesson In Life For U Players

The Baseball U team went to Jupiter with playing good baseball as it’s only intensions this past weekend. The team finished with a 3-2 record losing a 2-0 game to eventual bracket winner and Championship finalist Central Florida PG Royal and a 3-2 game to the ABD Bulldogs.

If you look at the scores only one game recap remains without a score. The Baseball U 8AM game on Sunday morning turned out to be a strong lesson in life. For everyone in attendance what was witnessed was an eye opener that baseball is just a game and nothing more. For a period of time the focus was on saving a life of another player and baseball was an afterthought.

With two out in the bottom of the 4th inning and Baseball U holding a one run lead Alex Nickles lifted a fly ball to the right center field gap. Both of the Dallas Tigers outfielders were in a full sprint when they collided head on. As the coaches and players ran to the outfield it was worse than anyone could imagine.

It was something that I hope I never have to see again in my lifetime. It was so bad that upon medical arrival they immediately called for a helicopter to land on the field and medevac the player away.

As the helicopter approached and all the games on the fields were stopped thousands of people lined the outside the field to watch what was going on. The Baseball U staff and players kneeled and were led in prayer by Coach Dennhardt  for the player who was in critical condition. Later that night he went from Intensive care to being having diagnosed to having a severe concussion.

Sometimes everyone from coaches, players, parents and scouts take the game to be more than a game. Something like this is a huge eye opener that baseball is just a game and shows just how important other things in life are.

You can read the Perfect Game article on the game here written by David Rawnsley.

 Sometimes Baseball isn't just that important. In the bottom of the 4th inning of the Baseball U and Dallas Tigers game Sunday morning on Blue Field #7, Tigers' outfielders Jared Wilson and Conner Fikes, ironically senior teammates at Rowlett High School in Texas, were involved in a violent collision while chasing a fly ball in right field.

It was immediately obvious that both players could be seriously hurt and multiple calls to 911 were made by both parents at the game and Perfect Game staff. The Blue Quad Athletic Trainer reached the scene within 1 to 2 minutes and went to work at once to stabilize the unconscious Fikes. He was soon joined by the Athletic Trainer from the Red Quad, plus EMT's arriving by ambulance and fire truck and local police. A helicopter was called to rush Fikes to the hospital by air and lifted off from the Blue 7 outfield approximately 20-25 minutes after the collision.

We are thrilled to report that both Connor Fikes and Jared Wilson are doing well. Fikes is being held overnight in the hospital for observation and has been diagnosed with a severe concussion but fortunately nothing worse. Wilson was transported to the hospital by car and treated for a mild concussion and broken nose and released.