Cates Weathered Emotional Challenges To Get Through High School

PRAIRIE GROVE — An injury at shortstop opened the way for Drew Cates to break into the starting lineup as a Prairie Grove freshman in 2016, a post he held four seasons.

Senior shortstop Sam Dodd broke his hand and in stepped Drew appearing in 12 games as a freshman in the spring of 2016. He came to the plate 17 times and batted .308 scoring 4 runs and drawing 4 walks while striking out on 3 occasions.

At the same time Drew’s best friend and baseball teammate, Jarren Sorters, battled for his life. Jarren suffered a broken foot in 2013 and by the spring of 2015 experienced pain in his foot and was diagnosed with sarcoma.

The boys played together for 10 years and Drew felt Jarren’s absence while adjusting to life without Jarren on the baseball diamond. He never knew getting through high school contained so many challenges and Jarren’s illness was just the beginning.

“It was definitely tough transitioning over to not being on the field with him and not being able to look over and have someone that you compete with and someone that you hold so dearly to you be on the field with you,” Drew said. “So it kind of motivated me to play every game like it was my last and play for him; and do everything the best I could because I knew that it would honor him and it would show him that I’m along for the battle that he’s going through.”

Drew describes Jarren as the type of kid, who played every game like it might be his last.

“Oh yeah, for sure. He competed on and off the field. It didn’t matter whether we were losing 15-1 or winning 15-1, he dove after every ball. He tried at everything.”

Boys And Baseball

Drew grew up playing baseball with his father, Billy Don Cates, coaching him from the ages of four through 13.

“My dad has been along with me, my whole life. He’s inspired me to be the best that I can. He’s supported me along the journey and the way that he’s pushed me has showed me that working hard pays off because I got a scholarship to play (baseball),” Drew said.

Drew signed a national letter of intent to play college baseball for Coffeyville Community College of Coffeyville, Kan., on Friday, Jan. 18, 2019, prior to his senior season.

Drew’s older brother, Dillon Cates, played high school baseball at Prairie Grove with Jalen Beeks, now a pitcher for Major League baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays. Dillon went on to play for Central Baptist College, of Conway, and was part of a team that won the 2016 NAIA World Series as a right-handed pitcher.

Dillon and Drew experienced a sibling rivalry expressed through competitiveness.

“We’d go out and play wiffle ball all day and just peg each other,” Drew said. “It probably ended up in a fist fight every time with me running off or him running off.”

Walkoff Home Run

One of Drew’s favorite moments in sports occurred as a 12-year-old when he hit a walk-off, 3-run homer while playing for the Arkansas Ghosts, a team that was from all over northwest Arkansas with Jarren on the roster.

“It was little league ball so it wasn’t too intense, but it was pretty crazy after I hit it because it was a walkoff,” Drew said. “It doesn’t happen very much. It was just a special moment.”

Drew’s 3-run shot ended the game with the Ghosts winning 8-7 over the Greenwood Bulldogs at Fayetteville’s Wilson Park.

Death Of Teammate

As Jarren went through the process of battling sarcoma, his leg was amputated

Eventually, Jarren passed Aug. 11, 2016, just days before the start of the school year. In the spring Drew and the Tigers prepared to play a baseball season. By then, Drew had a little time to process those events. Still, facing the future and the season without Jarren was far from a cake walk.

“Without a doubt when a young man of 14-, 15-year-old freshman have something like that happen, something that traumatic, it’s going to have a lasting impact on him now and later in life,” said Chris Mileham, who coached Drew for the 2016-2018 seasons, adding, “It was a challenge for Drew to get locked in.”

Drew appreciated his relationship with Mileham.

“Coach Mileham has done a lot for me. The last three years I really enjoyed being with him and everything that he’s taught me about baseball, he’s taken it to a whole another level,” Drew said. “He’s helped me get so many different colleges looking at me that I can’t even count on one hand and he’s like a second dad to me.”

Drew’s mother, Michelle Cates, offered a constant supportive presence attending his games.

“He kind of struggled his freshman and sophomore years figuring out who was going to fill that hole for him,” Michelle Cates said.

Drew wore a Play4Jarren bracelet that provided a lot of spiritual (inspiration) and superstition that he’d play better.

“Just knowing that I had that on and knowing I was playing for a reason,” Drew said. “No, it definitely wasn’t easy, but it gave me something to play for and it definitely pushed me to be the best that I could at my age and made me work harder and just think of him and do everything for him.”

All-State

During his junior season of 2018, Drew garnered All-State honors. Appearing in 30 games, Drew batted .333 with 32 hits in 96 at-bats and 110 plate appearances, 16 runs scored, 23 RBIs, 6 doubles and 1 triple.

Even with that kind of production, his mother noticed he was still coping with the absence of Jarren.

“Drew led the team last year in hitting statistics, but we don’t feel like it was his best year,” she said.

Jarren’s younger brother, Jackson Sorters, made varsity as a freshman in 2018 and Drew took heart from enjoying camaraderie with Jackson at the ballpark.

“Jackson is like my little brother and he’s fun to play with,” Drew said. “We play the same and we both have that same cockiness that we like to carry ourselves like each other.”

On Drew’s 18th birthday in the summer of 2018, he bashed another walk-off home run that stands out among his favorite memories. Drew’s team was playing at a college in Kansas leading 9-0 going into the fifth.

“I was due up to hit. They had just changed pitchers and first pitch I get ahold of it and walk-off run-rule was what I like to call it,” Drew said.

Tiger Heritage

Drew’s classmate Garrett Heltemes signed with Coffeyville in December with Drew signing a month later and both eagerly looked forward to their senior baseball season at Prairie Grove which got short-circuited with Mileham’s resignation in February.

“Garrett has been my best friend since like seventh grade; and I’m just glad that we get to carry on being best friends going into college next year,” Drew said.

Aware of Prairie Grove’s heritage with the Tigers producing three professional baseball pitchers from 20142019 including Jalen Beeks (Tampa Bay Rays) and Ty Tice (Toronto Blue Jays minor leaguer), the boys wanted to make their mark.

“I’ve known Jalen since I was 10 years old because he played with my brother, and, he’s, honestly, just a big inspiration because it just proves that someone from a small town like Prairie Grove can really make it into the big leagues because it shows that hard work pays off,” Drew said.

Tice also played with Dillon Cates and Drew talked to Tice a little bit more drawing upon Tice’s influence.

“Me and Ty are kind of like the same person. He’s helped me get better at my game and helped me improve just by being here at some of our practices and just so I can watch him,” Drew said. “Getting to hit off of him and seeing that type of pitching has really helped me develop my game.”

Another former teammate, Logan Gragg, was drafted by St. Louis in June.