Baseball helps lift spirits after Santa Fe shooting
Team’s decision to play brought out big crowd
DEER PARK, Texas – Saturday evening was typical for Southeast Texas.
Sunny and muggy. Ballpark nachos with cheese and jalapenos, a song of “Woop! Woop!” from the stands and the sounds of bats connecting with baseballs.
The only difference: The team on the visitor’s side of Jim Kethan Field was the Santa Fe High School Indians. And the day before, the deadliest school shooting in Texas history took place in their school.
Seventeen-year-old Dimitrious Pagourtzis was arrested on suspicion of capital murder and assault of a police officer after 10 died and 13 more were wounded. That includes two baseball players: sophomore pitcher Rome Shubert and sophomore catcher Trenton Beazley.
Both were in the dugout when Santa Fe lost to Kingwood Park 7-0 in a regional quarterfinal game. Beazley had his arm in a sling. Shubert was shot in the head but somehow was not seriously hurt.
“I can’t really wrap my mind around it,” Shubert told ESPN. “It’s very emotional.”
He also seemed in awe of his teammates: “After everything that happened, it was definitely hard to come out here and be as strong as they were. ... I’m really proud of them.”
Though the team lost friends and people they considered family just 36 hours before, they had no intention of not playing.
“I said what your decision is, I’m going to go with it,” Santa Fe baseball coach Ronnie Wulf said. “‘You don’t want to play, I’m good with that.’ They were in there for a little, but they came out and they wanted to play.”
The scene at the ballpark was much different from the vigil Friday night in Santa Fe.
Mayor-elect Jason Tabor left a meeting Saturday with federal and state law enforcement to attend the baseball game. He said it was important for him to be there even if the incident is still being investigated.
“I wanted to come. I’m a Santa Fe graduate — it’s still my school,” Tabor said. “We’re here, united together. We’re Santa Fe Strong.”
The strong showing at the game, from the parents in green and gold T-shirts to the supporting fans from neighboring communities, is a perfect example of the kind of people who reside in the area, he said.
“We’re resilient, and we will heal from all this. We’re hurt, but not broken.”
Though the game was a loss, Saturday offered a chance to begin healing. The tragedy took a backseat to baseball for at least a few hours.
“I think the game helped the kids, the fans; it helped a lot of people,” Wulf said. “Instead of just sitting and not doing anything. I’m proud of them for everything they’ve done all year long.”