This was definitely the strangest baseball season we've ever experienced for a variety of reasons. The main reason is probably easy to guess...that cantankerous Covid19 virus. At first it seemed likely that there would be no baseball season at all this year. Schools were shut down in March and most other Spring sports were cancelled, but somehow baseball managed to pass all the requirements set forth by the health department and a condensed season was allowed. Montana baseball players and fans were thrilled. We didn't care if we had to wear masks and use hand sanitizer every inning...we were just thrilled to "play ball!"
But unfortunately, no matter how badly Joseph wanted to play ball, he was unable to for the majority of the season. In mid-March, the weekend before Covid19 shut down our schools, Joseph and some friends wanted to take one more trip to our local ski hill before all the snow melted. The snow was not great and sadly, Joseph hit a rocky/dry spot that resulted in a torn MCL. It seemed devastating for this to happen his senior year, but we know God works everything for the good of those who love Him. Joseph spent eight weeks on crutches and a knee brace with instructions not to put any weight whatsoever on that leg, followed by 12 weeks of intense physical therapy. He went to every single baseball practice and game. He diligently did all of his PT exercises. He hoped with all of his heart that he would be able to play for the Helena Senators for the second half of the season. By June, the orthopedic surgeon and the physical therapist gave him the green-light-go-ahead to play ball, but sadly the coach did not give him much playing time at all. That was a very tough life lesson for Joseph, his parents, and his grandparents...but we won't go into that :} Through it all, I was epicly proud of how Joseph handled the situation with such profound virtue. He kept a positive attitude on and off the field. He did not grumble or blame. He was a true gentleman like his grandpa Hollis and simply played the crummy hand that he was dealt with grace and humility. The few times that he did get to play in a game, he did amazing! He ended up with the best pitching ERA on the team---absolute zero!!!--which means he did not allow any earned runs while he was pitching all season long! Even though baseball during his senior year did not go as he had hoped, I think he really grew in character and in his baseball skills, and thankfully he has the exciting adventure of playing college baseball at Franciscan University to look forward to in his near future.
Here are a few pictures of his last season of Legion baseball with the Helena Senators. All of these amazing pictures were taken by the talented Jason Brent (a dad of one of the Reps players who started his own photography business called "Action Photography." He is a great guy and a talented photographer!):
Our family on "Senior" night for the Helena Senators.
Joseph got to be the starting pitcher!
"We love you #4 and are so proud of the man and baseball player that you have become.
You handled this tough season with heroic virtue
and we hope college baseball is an awesome experience.
May you continue to do everything for the glory of God
and strive to grow closer to Him every day!"
~Mom and Dad
Michael also had a season with some unexpected challenges... I think he was hoping to get selected for the Senators' Team (which is the highest level team consisting of seniors and some juniors), but he was chosen again for the Reps Team (juniors, sophomores, and some freshmen). However, in hindsight that may have been a gift from God because he ended up getting tons more playing time and probably having a lot more fun on the Reps than he would have had on the Senators. But his season, too, was fraught with unexpected injuries. Early in the season he ended up dislocating his shoulder during a head-first steal attempt at 3rd base. I don't think he fully recovered from that injury until long after the season was over, even though he kept playing through the pain. Later in the season, he injured his back from some ribs getting dislocated and had to miss quite a few games while his body recovered. Despite all of his injuries, he had a successful season. He had a "golden glove" as short stop and also was the team's starting pitcher. Here are some highlight photos of his season---again, a huge thanks to Jason Brent at Action Photography for taking these amazing shots!
"Mikey---you are intense and passionate about the things you love--especially sports.
We love you and pray you always use your passions to glorify God."
~Mom and Dad
Even Nathanael and Isaiah were blessed to be able to have baseball seasons this year--despite the whole Covid crisis. Their seasons were postponed until later in the summer and very much condensed, but they loved it and had a blast! But even little baseball players get injuries, and Nathanael ended up having to miss a couple of practices due to a sprained foot! He jumped down from a fence to get a foul ball at one of the Helena Reps games and sprained his foot so badly that he needed to wear one of those big leg boots for about a week. At that time during the baseball season 3 out of our 4 baseball boys were on the injured list---Joseph, Michael, and Nathanael. We were thankful that at least Isaiah never suffered an injury this year! :) Nathanael and Isaiah were so fun to watch! Both of them had such eager, positive attitudes at all times. Isaiah, especially, was so eager in the outfield that he would run to try to get every single ball no matter where it was hit on the field! :) We had to have some chalk-talks about proper field positioning :) It's so fun and refreshing to watch the younger boys play ball because there isn't the level of stress or intensity like high school ball. It sure looks like these two boys have the same passion for the game as their 2 oldest brothers, so I better enjoy these stress-free little league games while they last! :)
I didn't get very many pictures of the little boys since I don't have a great telephoto lens, but here are a few to make you smile :)
Nathanael's team went undefeated in the regular season!
Quite the accomplishment!
He had the same coach (Coach Ryan) for the 3rd year in a row,
and we loved how positive and encouraging he was.
Grandpa Pat and Michael had fun watching Nathanael's games together and critiquing every play!
Grandma Theresa, Dominic, Isaiah, and I enjoyed watching the games from the comfort of our lawn chairs in the shade :)
"Nathanael, our sweet little slugger,
You aren't so little anymore,
but you sure are sweet and you sure are a slugger!
What a great season pitching and hitting and being a positive team player!
We are so proud of you and we love watching you play!"
~Mom and Dad
"Isaiah---what an awesome athlete you are!
You are skilled, joyful, and eager to make every play.
We had so much fun watching every game
and we look forward to watching many more.
Keep up the positive, eager attitude always!"
~Mom and Dad
Totus Tuus,
~Maria
