Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Tourney Has Emotional Beginning
PRAIRIE GROVE — Joey Sorters needed an infusion of inner strength just to be able to throw the ceremonial first-pitch as the Jarren Sorters Memorial Baseball Tournament got underway March 21.
People who know Joey Sorters, Prairie Grove High School assistant principal and a former baseball player, wondered why the throw seemed off, but what they could not see was underneath the sunglasses tears were welling up. He could barely see to make the throw. This was another one of those moments Joey Sorters has become accustomed to, when he has to reach down deep inside and depend on his Christian faith to bring him through.
Jarren Sorters, son of Joey and Donna Sorters, would have been a sophomore this year at Prairie Grove.
Much of the Sorters’ family journey has been publicized from Jarren’s initial Aug. 13, 2015, diagnosis of Undifferentiated Pleomorphic Sarcoma with CIC DUX 4, an extremely rare but aggressive form of Sarcoma; through amputation of Jarren’s left leg two months later, cancer treatment and radiation therapy, learning to walk on a prosthetic device, to a devastating diagnosis of the spread of cancer to his lungs, and his death on Aug. 11, 2016, — one month short of his 16th birthday.
Throughout the journey, Donna Sorters faithfully maintained an ongoing blog called Pray4Jarren
updating the countless number of concerned family, friends, community members, prayer- intercessors, sports fans and many others as the situation crossed over various demographics. Support was drawn from other communities linked by shared athletic competition through rivalries and among the 4A-1 Conference.
The Farmington Cardinals (5A West), plus Prairie Grove’s conference brethren: Gentry Pioneers, Gravette Lions, Huntsville Eagles, Pea Ridge Blackhawks and Lincoln Wolves are numbered among various sports teams and communities participating in fundraisers and showing support.
Charity Ruley, a close friend of the family, experienced a similar feeling while delivering a speech to kick off the tournament last week.
“He ( Jarren Sorters) was a special kid,” Charity Ruley said. “I had him in fourth grade as a teacher. He played for Ulysses (her husband Ulysses Ruley is head junior high basketball coach at Prairie Grove). He was Ulysses’ starting pointguard. I got nominated to make a speech.” Charity Ruley was doing a tremendous service — in vocalizing what neither of Jarren’s parents could accomplish without breaking into tears as she welcomed the Bentonville West Wolverines (7A West), Booneville Bearcats (4A-4), Gentry Pioneers ( 4A- 1), Ozark Hillbillies (4A-4), Pea Ridge Blackhawks (4A-1) and Prairie Grove Tigers (4A-1) along with their coaches, parents and fans.
Gentry baseball coach Justin Ledbetter had his team in the tournament, saying they not only benefit from playing baseball during spring break, but also through their participation in the tournament which is a fundraiser for the Play4Jarren Foundation.
“We teach our kids to be ambassadors of Gentry,” Ledbetter said. “That means, not only putting the uniform on with the name of Gentry on it, but also it means doing things the right way. It means acting the right way whether it’s in the classroom or on the field, showing respect to teachers and coaches.”
“Things like this ( the Jarren Sorters Memorial Baseball Tournament) are a way to show sportsmanship to another conference opponent that’s been through some hard times, to show them support for our rivals.”
Prairie Grove assistant baseball coach Mason Pinkley played high school baseball for Prairie Grove. He witnessed first-hand the significance of the tournament to the 2017 Tiger varsity.
“The tournament is just a really big honor for him ( Jarren Sorters),” Pinkley said. “I know that he played basketball, but I think baseball was his main thing. It’s really cool for our kids. The younger kids played with him growing up. There was a moment when they were pretty stoic, a couple of them holding back the tears.”
According to its mission statement, Play4Jarren is a Christian-based non-profit organization established to preserve and honor the legacy of Jarren Sorters. It serves to provide community outreach and support for youth who face physical and medical adversities. Play4Jarren has two specific areas of focus: Childhood Cancer awareness and research, and youth development through athletics.
Play4Jarren also supports educational endeavors of young people through a scholarship program. The foundation seeks to award college scholarships in memory of Jarren to individuals who demonstrate characteristics of compassion, determination, perseverance, and love for life. For more information visit Play4Jarren.org.