As part of Wake Forest’s commitment to providing a World Class Student-Athlete Experience, Coach Tom Walter and Brenner Children’s Hospital at Wake Forest Baptist Health have come together to create an opportunity and memorable experience for all involved.
Saturday, May 1, 2021 will be a special day for the Wake Forest baseball program and Brenner Children's Hospital as the Demon Deacons will be hosting their first-ever Fight Against Pediatric Cancer Game at David F. Couch Ballpark. Wake Forest will dawn light yellow jerseys to match the Pediatric Cancer ribbon.
It is safe to say when the Deacons hit the diamond for the 36th game of the 2021 season against NC State, they will be playing for a cause much larger than the result on the field.
Long Time Coming
A visit between Brenner Children's Hospital and head coach Tom Walter at Wake Forest University's campus in the spring of 2019 sparked the conversation about holding a special day at the ballpark in the near future.
The initial plan was to hold the game during the 2020 season, with a visit to the hospital by the Deacs to meet with the children, families and workers at the hospital serving as a prelude to the event inside Couch Ballpark. The team was able to make their visit to the facility in the early months of 2020, but just like so many other plans last year, the COVID-19 pandemic altered the ensuing event.
Even though the game was put on pause without a new date in sight, the experience the visit provided was something was invaluable.
"The work they do over there is incredible and the technology that they have and what they do for these families is incredible," said Walter. "It's hard for me to describe. These families - they live in that hospital, you know? They live in the hospital with their sons or their daughter and they take months of work for 24-hour care and the empathy and the kindness that the staff over there shows these families is inspirational to me. Brenner and the work they do with children there, there's no more noble cause than that."
The outlook and attitude of the children and workers made a lasting impression on both the coaches and the players, something they still look back on to this day.
"Getting them to understand how grateful they are and have gratitude for all the gifts they've been given and the opportunities that they have in front of them that some families don't have," Walter continued. "The empathy and the kindness that the staff over there shows these families is inspirational to me. The positive attitude these kids have in the hospital, just about their plight and about how they approach each and every day. I mean if you don't walk out of a visit from Brenner with a renewed passion for life and a renewed appreciation for how strong and tough these kids are, then I don't know what to tell you."
For freshman outfielder Adam Cecere, the visit opened his eyes to how big of an impact that a program such as Wake Forest can make.
"When we visited Brenner, it was very emotional," said Cecere. "We gained an understanding of what some kids go through on an everyday basis and how the slightest things can help brighten their day. The team and I definitely gained a newfound want to help support."
Coach Walter feels the impact and importance of his student-athletes seeing what these families and children at Brenner teaches life long lessons.
A Special Connection
One of the most moving parts of the visit was the time spent with Alexius Dawson, a 15-year old who threw out the first pitch on February 26, 2020.
"The smile on her face in the hospital was just something that I'll never forget," said Walter. "The same thing with our guys. They just interacted so well with her. I know Tony Joyce (Director of Equipment Services) has been doing a great job of staying in touch with the family and Alexius and everything she has gone through … I think about how I am after we lose a game, or how our players are after they go 0-for-4 and it just puts it into perspective."
That smile is also still embedded on Alexius' mother, Nikki Horton, who can still clearly remember the connection between the group of Deacons and her daughter.
"Just the way they talked with her and interacted," Horton remembered. "As a mother as you sit there and watch your child laying in there in bed struggling, sick from chemo and just not feeling good, and then to have the baseball team just show up, that was a smile I will never forget."
The team traded photos with Alexius, and even had a special request for her.
"The moment when the one player asked her to autograph his scar, that's kind of priceless to me," Horton recalled. "They just showed her, regardless of what she's going through, she still matters to people in the world… They just made her feel like she was somebody again.
"It was a big deal to her and still talks about that to this day. Every time we come back to Wake Forest, she's like 'Mom, do you know remember the baseball game? Mom, when can we go back and watch the baseball team?' One of her best memories of her times at Brenner was the visit from the baseball team."
With the Demon Deacons set to take the field on Saturday, Alexius and her family will be in the stands for the first time in almost two years to take part and witness the special day.
"It's going to be pretty emotional because the last time we were here it was just so emotional to interact with the team again on the field and throw out the first pitch," said Horton. "She was telling her auntie the other day, 'When I got to watch the game, I got to throw out the first pitch. I got to watch all those guys play. Then we went to the hotel and then I got to go on my Make A Wish trip.' But it was about the baseball team that it was the best part of that moment."
Heading into his first collegiate season in 2020, the visit and interactions with Alexius and the other children gave him a new sense of motivation to freshman pitcher Eric Adler.
"What I gained most from our visits was the realization of how blessed we are to be able to go about our days playing the sport that we love," said Adler. "With that being said, it gave us something to play for. Especially with Alexius, she has such a tough road ahead of her, but she always makes time to root for the Deacs. It's really inspiring and motivating to see her keep such a positive perspective on life even with all the things she's been through at such a young age."
Many More To Come
After the completion of this inaugural game, the program looks forward to continuing the tradition at The Couch for years down the road.
"Knowing that I am a part of something bigger than baseball is something that will change my life for the better," said Adler. "Connecting with the community and inspiring children has been one of my favorite parts of being a Demon Deacon. Seeing the way my teammates interact with the kids really made me appreciate how great the guys are around me. It was moving in many ways personally and for the team. Leaving the hospital knowing that I helped brighten a child's day is truly special."
"We really enjoyed our time there and would love to consistently make visits when the world becomes COVID free again," stated Cecere. "Baseball and athletics have always been a way to bring people together. The game will always be bigger than the game itself. It means a lot to the team and I that we can come together and play the game we love all for a bigger picture.The game will be awesome, some bright yellow jerseys and a lot of motivation fueling us. I'm very excited for this weekend."
"Obviously we have wished it happened a long time ago and it's something that we have been talking about for the third year in a row now," said Walter. "Hopefully this is something that we can start a tradition of having one of these games each and every year. I just want to thank the folks at Brenner and the Pediatric Center. I know having a day like this is not easy and there's a lot of people behind the scenes making this happen. Again, I'm just appreciative of those folks too."
Game Information
As part of Wake Forest Athletics commitment to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina, fans will have the opportunity to bid on the special-edition, game-worn jerseys through our website until 8 p.m. on the night of the game. The starting bid for each jersey is $100.
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Brenner Children's Hospital. For bidding, please go here.
To learn more about Brenner Children's Hospital, please click here. To learn more about Wake Forest Baptist Health, please visit their official site here.
Tickets for Saturday's game, presented by Wake Forest Baptist Health, can be purchased here.
Saturday, May 1, 2021 will be a special day for the Wake Forest baseball program and Brenner Children's Hospital as the Demon Deacons will be hosting their first-ever Fight Against Pediatric Cancer Game at David F. Couch Ballpark. Wake Forest will dawn light yellow jerseys to match the Pediatric Cancer ribbon.
It is safe to say when the Deacons hit the diamond for the 36th game of the 2021 season against NC State, they will be playing for a cause much larger than the result on the field.
Long Time Coming
A visit between Brenner Children's Hospital and head coach Tom Walter at Wake Forest University's campus in the spring of 2019 sparked the conversation about holding a special day at the ballpark in the near future.
The initial plan was to hold the game during the 2020 season, with a visit to the hospital by the Deacs to meet with the children, families and workers at the hospital serving as a prelude to the event inside Couch Ballpark. The team was able to make their visit to the facility in the early months of 2020, but just like so many other plans last year, the COVID-19 pandemic altered the ensuing event.
Even though the game was put on pause without a new date in sight, the experience the visit provided was something was invaluable.
"The work they do over there is incredible and the technology that they have and what they do for these families is incredible," said Walter. "It's hard for me to describe. These families - they live in that hospital, you know? They live in the hospital with their sons or their daughter and they take months of work for 24-hour care and the empathy and the kindness that the staff over there shows these families is inspirational to me. Brenner and the work they do with children there, there's no more noble cause than that."
The outlook and attitude of the children and workers made a lasting impression on both the coaches and the players, something they still look back on to this day.
"Getting them to understand how grateful they are and have gratitude for all the gifts they've been given and the opportunities that they have in front of them that some families don't have," Walter continued. "The empathy and the kindness that the staff over there shows these families is inspirational to me. The positive attitude these kids have in the hospital, just about their plight and about how they approach each and every day. I mean if you don't walk out of a visit from Brenner with a renewed passion for life and a renewed appreciation for how strong and tough these kids are, then I don't know what to tell you."
For freshman outfielder Adam Cecere, the visit opened his eyes to how big of an impact that a program such as Wake Forest can make.
"When we visited Brenner, it was very emotional," said Cecere. "We gained an understanding of what some kids go through on an everyday basis and how the slightest things can help brighten their day. The team and I definitely gained a newfound want to help support."
Coach Walter feels the impact and importance of his student-athletes seeing what these families and children at Brenner teaches life long lessons.
A Special Connection
One of the most moving parts of the visit was the time spent with Alexius Dawson, a 15-year old who threw out the first pitch on February 26, 2020.
"The smile on her face in the hospital was just something that I'll never forget," said Walter. "The same thing with our guys. They just interacted so well with her. I know Tony Joyce (Director of Equipment Services) has been doing a great job of staying in touch with the family and Alexius and everything she has gone through … I think about how I am after we lose a game, or how our players are after they go 0-for-4 and it just puts it into perspective."
That smile is also still embedded on Alexius' mother, Nikki Horton, who can still clearly remember the connection between the group of Deacons and her daughter.
"Just the way they talked with her and interacted," Horton remembered. "As a mother as you sit there and watch your child laying in there in bed struggling, sick from chemo and just not feeling good, and then to have the baseball team just show up, that was a smile I will never forget."
The team traded photos with Alexius, and even had a special request for her.
"The moment when the one player asked her to autograph his scar, that's kind of priceless to me," Horton recalled. "They just showed her, regardless of what she's going through, she still matters to people in the world… They just made her feel like she was somebody again.
"It was a big deal to her and still talks about that to this day. Every time we come back to Wake Forest, she's like 'Mom, do you know remember the baseball game? Mom, when can we go back and watch the baseball team?' One of her best memories of her times at Brenner was the visit from the baseball team."
With the Demon Deacons set to take the field on Saturday, Alexius and her family will be in the stands for the first time in almost two years to take part and witness the special day.
"It's going to be pretty emotional because the last time we were here it was just so emotional to interact with the team again on the field and throw out the first pitch," said Horton. "She was telling her auntie the other day, 'When I got to watch the game, I got to throw out the first pitch. I got to watch all those guys play. Then we went to the hotel and then I got to go on my Make A Wish trip.' But it was about the baseball team that it was the best part of that moment."
Heading into his first collegiate season in 2020, the visit and interactions with Alexius and the other children gave him a new sense of motivation to freshman pitcher Eric Adler.
"What I gained most from our visits was the realization of how blessed we are to be able to go about our days playing the sport that we love," said Adler. "With that being said, it gave us something to play for. Especially with Alexius, she has such a tough road ahead of her, but she always makes time to root for the Deacs. It's really inspiring and motivating to see her keep such a positive perspective on life even with all the things she's been through at such a young age."
Many More To Come
After the completion of this inaugural game, the program looks forward to continuing the tradition at The Couch for years down the road.
"Knowing that I am a part of something bigger than baseball is something that will change my life for the better," said Adler. "Connecting with the community and inspiring children has been one of my favorite parts of being a Demon Deacon. Seeing the way my teammates interact with the kids really made me appreciate how great the guys are around me. It was moving in many ways personally and for the team. Leaving the hospital knowing that I helped brighten a child's day is truly special."
"We really enjoyed our time there and would love to consistently make visits when the world becomes COVID free again," stated Cecere. "Baseball and athletics have always been a way to bring people together. The game will always be bigger than the game itself. It means a lot to the team and I that we can come together and play the game we love all for a bigger picture.The game will be awesome, some bright yellow jerseys and a lot of motivation fueling us. I'm very excited for this weekend."
"Obviously we have wished it happened a long time ago and it's something that we have been talking about for the third year in a row now," said Walter. "Hopefully this is something that we can start a tradition of having one of these games each and every year. I just want to thank the folks at Brenner and the Pediatric Center. I know having a day like this is not easy and there's a lot of people behind the scenes making this happen. Again, I'm just appreciative of those folks too."
Game Information
As part of Wake Forest Athletics commitment to providing the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina, fans will have the opportunity to bid on the special-edition, game-worn jerseys through our website until 8 p.m. on the night of the game. The starting bid for each jersey is $100.
All proceeds from the auction will be donated to Brenner Children's Hospital. For bidding, please go here.
To learn more about Brenner Children's Hospital, please click here. To learn more about Wake Forest Baptist Health, please visit their official site here.
Tickets for Saturday's game, presented by Wake Forest Baptist Health, can be purchased here.
