Hospitalized player hits Oviedo hard

Scotty Reeves was unconscious and in the midst of a seizure when Oviedo baseball coach Jason Foss arrived on scene early Wednesday afternoon.

Reeves, a senior second baseman and Daytona State College signee, hit his head on the concrete after falling from a skateboard, which he had at school as part of a throwback theme during prom week.

Foss rode in the ambulance with Reeves and was at his parents’ side at the hospital during emergency surgery, which was required to relieve bleeding and pressure from around his brain.

Reeves, who suffered multiple skull fractures, required a blood transfusion and a ventilator to assist with breathing.

He showed positive signs of movement in his hands and feet on Friday.

Foss met with his team Thursday morning, less than a week before the start of baseball district tournaments.

“There were a lot of emotions, a lot of tears,” Foss said.

“This is a tight group that we’ve got, so they were obviously very upset, and so am I. I’ve known the family a long time, and it’s hit me pretty hard.”

And now with so much more at stake aside from the thought of wins and losses, players and coaches are tasked with turning their attention to the field.

Oviedo holds the No. 1 seed in the Class 9A, District 6 tournament despite starting the season with just two wins in its first eight games. They’ll face the winner of a game between Colonial and Orlando University in the semifinals on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

Defending state champion Timber Creek plays Winter Park in the other semifinal.

“Keeping our heads up and staying positive for Scotty and playing for Scotty is what we’re striving to do,” Foss said. “We’re hoping we can go out and have a really strong performance for him in districts.”

Hagerty junior and University of Florida commit Riley Greene was among the first wave of players selected for the Under Armour AllAmerican game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on July 20. The game, which showcases the top 40 high school players from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, will air via tape delay on MLB Network. The Huskies play in an 8A-9 semifinal Tuesday against either Edgewater or Evans.

Olympia’s Jeslyn Whitehead leads the Titans into the 9A-3 semifinals Wednesday at Apopka where they’ll face rival West Orange at 4:30 p.m. Whitehead has struck out 44 batters and allowed seven earned runs in 302⁄3 innings pitched. He’s also gone 19-for-52 (.365) at the plate with 10 RBI and four doubles.

Cypress Creek (20-4) closed out the regular season with quality wins last week over Gateway and Osceola to inch closer to tying the program’s all-time record for wins. The Bears finished 22-9 as district champions in 2003 in what was their first and only 20-win season. Teams played 28 regular-season games then, three over the current limit. Cypress Creek, 11-16 a year ago, faces the winner of Lake Nona vs. Dr. Phillips in a 9A-4 semifinal Wednesday.

Senior catcher Gehrig Chambless became the first baseball player at Legacy Charter to sign with a college program when he inked with Vermilion College in Minnesota. Chambless enters 3A-3 tournament play at Lake Mary Prep batting .541 (40-for-74) with 19 RBI, 13 hits for extra bases and 30 runs scored. Legacy opens against Foundation Academy on Tuesday.

Osceola enters the 9A-5 tournament led by Frankie Santaniello and Diego Arroyo at the plate. Santaniello ended the regular season 27-for-60 (.450) with two home runs and 14 runs scored. Arroyo is batting .408 with six doubles and 21 runs scored. The Kowboys are on the road in Tuesday’s semifinal against Haines City.