sports narrative

Zach Dedin
Dr. Myklebust
Going Deep in a Major League Field The year was 2014, the date April 15th. On a sunny day in the town of Denver, a Colorado kid was about to do something that no other high school student-athlete in the state of Colorado, would do that year.
Holy Family High School, school size approximately six hundred, located in Broomfield, Colorado, has a baseball team that gets to participate in a game at Coors Field against a rival opponent as the only Class 3A team. This year the Holy Family Tigers renewed their old rivalry with the Erie Tigers, a team just north of the high school. This rivalry, one renewed every fall with football, was now going to be renewed on the diamond–this was our chance to show the state how good we were. Coming off of a state championship, with eleven seniors, we knew we had more talent than most teams in the state, but just had to prove it. This was our chance. Every baseball player in the state of Colorado dreams of playing at this world class facility, and even more kids from across the country dream of hitting a homerun at a Major League field. After all the ticket sales and hard work we put into playing there on April 15th, the date had arrived. Every player and coach on the team was excited and ready to play. Playing against a top 4A school, the classification above Holy Family, the Tigers acted as if this were any ordinary game. Leading up to the event, the players went to classes, took tests, and went about their business, until the clock struck noon and the baseball team was released. Players of all shapes and sizes gathered in the schools’ locker room to change and prepare themselves for this game. There was a sense in the air; a little cockiness but a lot of confidence. We knew we were better than Erie, we knew we were being overlooked due to the lower classification, and we knew this was just another game in the way of us winning a back-to-back state championship. The time came to load the buses, junior varsity in the front, and varsity in the back. There was a sense that something awesome was going to happen, something that would grab the attention of the media and the fans. Well it was time for that something. Sitting in the visitors’ locker room of Coors Field, there were smiling faces, phones taking pictures, and the feeling of being a major leaguer lurking in our minds. While we were admiring the facility and what it had to offer, we never once shied away from the game we still had to play. The Holy Family Tigers took the field first, went 1-2-3 in the top of the first inning and was now time for them to hit. The leadoff man or first batter of the game reached first base and the next man up hit him in. The three and four hole hitters both struck out. It was my turn now. The first pitch was a ball, second a change of for a strike, third a fastball high and in that I hit straight to the backstop. I just missed the previous pitch, not thinking the pitcher would throw the same pitch but he did. There was a runner on second and time just froze. The count was one ball and two strikes, with two outs. The pitch was delivered, a little up and in, quite ideal if I do say so myself. The pitcher made a mistake and soon his little mistake became a big one. I took my swing and the ball was hit to the back wall of the bullpen against the Weber sign in right centerfield of Coors Field: a four hundred plus foot hit. No other feeling can compare to trotting around the bases at a Major League Stadium after such an exceptional hit, I could not help but smile as I round the bases- I had just accomplished what so many professionals had done on that very field. The crowd screaming and yelling, everyone on the team waiting to greet me once I reached the dugout, and the feeling of being a professional player seeping through my mind. The homerun music they play for the pros when they hit a homerun was playing, the fountains were going up, and I jogged around the bases as if I was a big leaguer. I finally understood the atmosphere around me. This is why we love sports, right? Stories such as this one bring smiles to peoples’ faces, and give credit where credit is earned. A small school athlete, typically overlooked, received more media attention and fame than many people ever will. Seeing my name on the news and in articles was the most amazing feeling. Nothing can compare to that moment, no one can take those feelings from me, and no one can take that memory away. This event is one of my greatest accomplishments and memorable experiences of my life.