Tyler Prewitt earned three varsity letters on the Greenway High School baseball team.
“He was a scrappy player who gave his all,” said Matt McDonald.
A year after graduating in 2001, Prewitt decided to enlist in the Army.
“We tried to talk him out of it,” said his mother Jonnie Prewitt.
He served for three years. And then his last mission in Iraq ended tragically.
“They were on a scout mission and the Humvee was hit by an RPG,” she said.
Tyler Prewitt, 23, died a few days later.
“We were met [in Germany] with all the officers in full dress, you knew something was wrong," Joanie Prewitt said.
Fallen soldier serves as example
In 46 seasons of Greenway baseball, almost 600 players have worn the green and gold -- all of them part of a rich history.
But one player is revered –- his initials are on every hat.
“Just a great kid," said Denny. "[A] selfless kid who worked real hard.”
Every season since Tyler Prewitt lost his life, the Greenway baseball team has worn caps with the letters "TP" on the side.
Every player knows his story -- one of compassion, commitment and sacrifice.
“He was a hero,” said McDonald.
And in 2008, when players complained about having to chase down foul balls, Coach Denney saw another way to honor Tyler’s memory.
He took a batting helmet, painted it Army green camouflage and put Tyler’s initials on the back. Every player who had to shag foul balls wore the helmet.
Players quickly got the message.
“There’s a lot more sacrifice than you’re making,” said Denney. “Others make bigger sacrifices.”
The helmet is now a Greenway tradition at every game, either hanging on a hook at home or sitting on the dugout steps on the road.
Players only wear the helmet to shag foul balls during practice.
“That’s it,” said Denny.
A magical moment
For eight years, the helmet was never worn in a game and no player asked to use it.
That is until this year, when the last home game of the season was “Tyler Prewitt Night” at the ball park.
Jonnie Prewitt and her other kids and grandkids were at the field. Before the game, the baseball program held a ceremony to honor Tyler and one of the players asked to wear the helmet in the game.
“I said, 'I don’t think so, we have never done that,'” Denny said.
But then after a few minutes of thinking, Denny had a change of heart.
“I just said, 'let Matt wear it, then put it back on the hook.”
Matt McDonald walked to the plate – the first player to ever wear the TP helmet in a game.
“I was nervous, real nervous,” McDonald said.
The opposing pitcher threw his pitch and McDonald swung the bat.
He hit it high and far.
“When he hit it my chest started pounding, no way did this just happen,” Denny said.
The ball sailed some 350 feet over the fence for a homerun.
“I was in disbelief with what I did,” said McDonald.
He had never hit a homerun in his career.
Up in the stands Jonnie had to be told what happened, she had no idea McDonald was wearing the helmet.
It was the first time since Tyler Prewitt played at Greenway that Jonnie Prewitt had watched a game at that field.
“When he hit it that was it, it was like, 'here’s your sign, I’m watching,'” she said.
After rounding the bases and high-fiving his teammates, Matt McDonald walked to the end of the dugout and put the helmet back on the hook, where it will stay until the next foul ball.