By Steve Williams
Nine seniors on Farragut High School’s baseball team made a community service visit to East Tennessee Children’s Hospital the morning of Feb. 16 and it brightened the day for several kids on hand.
The players came away with a good feeling too.
Dr. Safina Kureshi, the Director of Pediatric Pulmonology at ETCH, set up the visit for the Farragut team, which includes her son and centerfielder Zain Kureshi-Smith. Dr. Kureshi’s husband, Dr. Joe Scott, also helped with the event. He is an Emergency Medicine Physician at different hospitals.
The Admirals, one of the state’s top baseball programs if not the best, arrived at the hospital at 10 a.m. and visited with the kids and staff for about an hour and a half.
In addition to Zain, other members of the team included Jake Harris, Aidan Flagg, Neyland Williams, Will Dickens, Travis Brumitt Jr., Brody Watkins, Patrick Kovac and Bradley Wade.
“I think it’s great and we are blessed to be in the shape that we are physically,” said Harris, the team’s catcher, at their arrival.
“Any way to make these kids happier, showing up and giving them a baseball, I think it benefits them and it benefits us too so it just makes us feel better. It kind of brings us together as a team when we go out and do things like this in the community.”
Flagg, a captain and right fielder, added: “I’m looking forward to meeting the kids.”
The Admirals brought small rubber baseballs with a big blue “F” and “star” on them to pass out to the children as they went through the hospital.
Cheryl Allmon, Director of Volunteer Services at ETCH, was asked: Who gets the biggest kick out of this, the kids or the players?
“Oh gosh, well you can tell by looking at these players, they’re having a wonderful time,” answered Allmon. “And it’s good for the kids. And it’s great for the parents, because parents come in and they are worried, and they are stressed, and what’s the condition of my child? And this just takes their mind off of what’s going on on a daily basis in their lives right now. But I love seeing these players engage and have fun.”
Some of the kids that the players enjoyed included DQ and Mason.
“I think we both (players and kids) got a good bit out of it,” said Jake. “I think the kids had a fun time once we were able to break the awkwardness. We had to let it just break for a little bit and then we were able to speak with them.
“I was really surprised with how well this staff and patients interacted together,” he added. “Like everybody knew everyone. I really thought that was great. I thought that helped with us meshing with the kids.”
Harris said he really liked DQ and that he reminded him of his little brother. Neyland Williams interacted with 6-year-old Mason well. Not knowing much about baseball yet, Mason said someday he wants to “drive a train.”
Aidan said: “It was good to see the kids smile. It made us a little happy too. It was heartwarming for sure.
“I think this is probably it for (community service) this season because we’ve got the season coming up and we’re going to be pretty busy with baseball.”
Farragut has won four straight state titles and is going for a 5-peat this year and one for the thumb.
The Admirals also took part in “Wreaths Across America” back in the fall, laying wreaths on the veterans’ graves in downtown Knoxville. In past years they’ve gone to KARM to volunteer.
“We try to get a lot of work in the community just to put us out there and show we’re more than baseball players.” said Harris.
