Mar 30, 2015High School Baseball Death
A high school junior varsity baseball player in Georgia was killed after being struck in the back of the head by an errant throw while sitting on the ledge in front of the dugout during a game last week. As reported by the Moultrie Observer, Valdosta High School’s Colton Shaw died Wednesday following the incident, which occurred between innings.
Colquitt County High School Athletic Trainer Ryan Kebler was at the game, saw the ball strike Shaw, and tended to him almost immediately.
“I saw the ball hit him, and he grabbed his head,” Kebler said. “He took a couple steps and fell, and when I saw him fall, I knew it was serious … I think our response was good, and I think our plan was good … It was just an accident, a freak thing.”
Valdosta made grief counselors available to students and postponed extracurricular activities on Thursday, as well as their varsity baseball game on Friday.
“It’s a terrible tragedy,” Valdosta High Athletic Director Rance Gillespie told The Valdosta Daily Times. “It’s a terrible loss to our school and our baseball program. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Shaw family.”
In 2009, Athletic Management ran a “Safety Checklist for Coaches” article detailing ways coaches can help reduce safety risks. The article, by Dr. Richard P. Borkowski, a sport safety consultant based in Narberth, Pa., and the former Director of Physical Education and Athletics at the Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pa., can be found here.
