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Emblems with Zachary Reid’s initials are on every batting helmet for the Black Hills Cal Ripken 12s all-star baseball team. Players wear bracelets emblazoned with “ZR,” and a game-used ball with the same initials sits on the bat rack near the dugout.
A photograph of Zachary will be in Lucas’ mother’s lap today at 10:30 a.m. when the team opens play in the regional tournament in Eugene, Ore., against Southern Oregon.
“I like playing baseball because that takes me away into my own little space,” Lucas, 12, said. “I forget about everything, and just play. ... I know that I’m doing everything for him.”
On July 8, Zachary, Lucas’ half-brother, died in a two-car crash at the intersection of Meridian and Mullen roads in Lacey. Two weeks earlier, Zachary had come out from his home in Ashburn, Va., to spend the summer with his father and his stepfamily.
Sports were something Lucas and Zachary had in common. Summers were spent going to Black Hills Cal Ripken games, which was where Zachary, along with brother Kevin and step-brother Alex, were heading the evening of the accident. Kevin and Alex suffered minor injuries in the crash.
Lucas thought about not playing the rest of the season after Zachary’s death, but ultimately his parents decided he should continue.
“As tragic as the accident was, we didn’t want this to take away from continuing in what he loves to do,” Brad Reid said.
“He still needs to be a 12-year-old,” said Theresa Reid, Lucas’ mom. “Zack would’ve wanted him to play.”
Lucas, an incoming seventh-grader at Lacey’s Komachin Middle School, has been a valuable contributor for Black Hills, playing many positions and sparking the team with his ability to get on base from the leadoff spot. Coach Pete Peppley said catching, however, is where he stands out.
“Nobody quite does what he does behind the plate,” Peppley said.
The team has rallied around Lucas. Peppley said the team has become closer because of the tragedy.
“It’s guided them toward a common goal: To do well, and remember what we’re there for,” Peppley said, “which is to commemorate Zack’s memory.”
Black Hills carries a 14-game winning streak into the regional tournament. For eight of the players, it’s their third consecutive trip to the regionals. The winner of the three-day tournament advances to the Cal Ripken World Series on Aug. 14-22 in Aberdeen, Md.
The team is just one of three Black Hills squads playing in the postseason. The 10- and 11-year-old teams also made regional tournaments.
Lucas’ team won the state tournament in Kennewick to earn a berth at regionals.
The picture of Zachary was in Theresa Reid’s lap during the state tournament, including a 9-2 victory over Mount Rainier in the title game. That photograph will continue to be with them in Eugene – and maybe beyond.
“I still think about him a lot,” said Lucas, who says he has to fight the urge to send a text to Zachary, even though he knows a response will not come.
Meg Wochnick: 360-754-5473 mwochnick@theolympian.com
