High school finds touching way to honor seniors who missed their final season due to the pandemic

The pandemic made life hard for everyone, but with kindness, people found ways to make things better and heal more efficiently. Many people missed out on so much during the lockdown and what was lost had no traces of coming back. However, what could be done was to offer empathy and support to those who have missed out and ensure their contribution and importance will not go unnoticed. Ryle High School's baseball team did the same for their seniors of the 2020 batch. Sharing a post on Twitter, the team made a moving gesture for their senior players who missed their final game due to the lockdown.

The game got canceled due to social distancing and the young men lost their opportunity to play their last game and end with a memorable finishing play. However, Ryle High School understood how much the last game meant for them and though they could not bring back the game, they ensured that the seniors remained engraved in their hearts and fields for their notable contribution. "In 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the high school baseball season was canceled. The senior players were unable to play their final game on this field."

"Coach Aylor invited them to sign a baseball that was buried under the home plate during renovation. They will forever be a part of every run scored at the Ryle High School," the board outside on the fence read. Also, the names of 8 senior players were mentioned on the board. The home plate is an integral part of the field and is known to every baseball player. "It's kind of cool looking out at the home plate and being like all of us seniors got to bury a ball under there," David Kennikott, one of the senior players told WCPO9.

He further added that it was a different experience to know they would be a part of the field and every program. The coach was pitched the idea by his father and while it was initially a joke or a simple and intimate gesture, the boys seemed excited. "The boys were like, 'Coach, do you think you'd go viral for this?' and I joked and said, 'As long as it's this and nothing else,'" the coach said. "It's a testament to how much was missed by just canceling." He further added that to many, the season being canceled may have been just a game being canceled, but to the boys, it meant a lot more.

Alex Pegram, another alumnus, said, "We're part of every run scored and that's special. We're glad our coach let us be a part of Ryle beyond High School." The coach shared more about the heart-wrenching feeling for the seniors to miss playing on their field for the last time. "They were all tears," the coach said, adding that one kid in particular refused to come on the field because he couldn't. @tweedylouwho said, "This makes me teary. As the parent of a 2020 senior who missed out on his final season, this is a nice gesture." @mgus said, "What a neat thing to do!"