National Baseball Congress honors bat boy killed in tragic accident

WICHITA -- "Go out there. Have fun. Play hard" — requirements Kaiser Carlile demanded from his team when it was his turn to talk in the pregame huddles.

The instructions for the Liberal (Kan.) Bee Jays did not come from a coach but from a batboy known for a quiet demeanor and a loud smile that often spoke for him.

Seattle handed Liberal a 4-2 loss in the winner's bracket semifinal of the National Baseball Congress World Series at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on Tuesday, a tournament for summer collegiate baseball teams. But only two days removed from Carlile's death, what mattered to Liberal coach Adam Anderson was his team still followed Carlile's edicts.

"We know what Kaiser would want, and that would be for us to go out and play," Anderson said. "That's the only message we told the team, is go out, play hard and play together, because that's what we're doing — we're going through this together, and we want them to go out and play hard for each other."

Carlile, 9, was struck in the head by a Liberal player's practice swing in the on-deck circle during the Bee Jays game Saturday. Carlile, going to retrieve a bat, was wearing a helmet but was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Carlile died Sunday night while the Bee Jays were in action on the field. Kaiser's father, Chad, informed the team after the game. Tuesday marked Liberal's first chance to play baseball since Carlile's death. The Bee Jays wore new shirts with "KC" on the front — Kaiser's initials — and wings above each player's number on the back.

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Supporters packed into the stadium. As they entered, a donation would get each spectator a Kaiser Carlile baseball card. The card bared an image of him in his batboy uniform on the front and his hobbies and more listed on the back. Listed last on the card was Carlile's goal — he was too young to be a batboy when he was 8, so he wanted the job when he turned 9.

Kevin Jenks, general manager of the NBC World Series, estimated the 6,100-seat stadium was three-fourths full for the game, a jarring turnout of support.

Kaiser's sister, Keirsie, threw out the first pitch.

"(Wichita) stepped up tonight, and it's great to see our community come together," Jenks said. "To see that and the standing ovations taking place tonight, it's special to be a part of that."

Seattle led 3-0 after three innings, but Liberal pulled back within one in the top of the fifth after RBI hits from Gavin Wehby and Brent Williams.

The Studs picked up an insurance run in the bottom half of the inning for a 4-2 lead.

Taylor Thompson threw two scoreless innings for Seattle to earn the save. Thompson admits it was an awkward game for him, as a part of him was cheering for the foe.

Seattle wrote "KC" on its caps, and Studs players lined up beside Liberal on the first-base line for pregame introductions.

"We hadn't really interacted with them, but just to get a chance to go over there, we just wanted to be behind them so we weren't standing as opposition to them, but we were together with them," Thompson said.

Liberal remains alive in the tournament. While Carlile is no longer in the dugout, his words were kept alive.

"To hear the roar of the crowd — if it didn't give you chills, there's something wrong with you," Anderson said.

"The guys were able to come out and deal with the emotions and handle the emotions and go out and play a really good ballgame."