Angel in the outfield
Hornets dedicate tree in memory of their departed teammate
05/21/2008, 12:40 pm
Melissa Garzanelli, melissag@mywebtimes.com, 815-431-4049
Photo: Doug Larson
The Hornets girls fast-pitch team gathers around a tree planted in memory of teammate Sara Treest, who died in November. A ceremony to honor Treest was conducted prior to the team’s first game of the season by coach Joel Hambleton (far left) and manager Jim Thrush (second from left) on Tuesday.
A framed uniform with Sara Treest’s number, signed by all her teammates, was presented to Al and Heather Treest in memory of their daughter.
Running from first to second base during a softball game last year, Sara Treest was struck in the back by a thrown ball. Hard.
Jim Thrush, manager of the Hornets' girls fast-pitch team, recalls hearing the crack when the ball hit her and watching as Treest went down face-first and crying. But he had to laugh when even as she wept through the pain, her foot wiggled out from under her to touch second base.
That dedication was so typical.
"She was always the first one there," he said.
Thrush, along with all of Treest's teammates on the Hornets, gathered prior to their first game Tuesday to plant a tree in her honor at the girls softball diamond at Peck Park.
Treest died last November in an accident at her home. When softball season started, her teammates still were thinking about her, missing her in her spot in left field. Uniforms were ordered with wings and a halo around the name "Sara" to commemorate their friend.
Last year, Treest was No. 2 and this year no one else was given that number. Instead a shirt was made for her, each player signed it and the framed shirt was presented to her parents, Heather and Al, during the dedication.
Heather recalled how scared her daughter was when she moved up to the Hornets last year, being the smallest girl on the team.
"She was so happy to be part of this team," she said. "At first she was so scared because she was so much littler. But everyone treated her like a big girl. She was really honored to be part of this team."
Thrush was amazed at how the older girls "took her under their wings." He credited Treest's positive attitude. Other parents, also gathered at the dedication, noticed it too.
"She was the sweetest little thing ever," said Karen McCormick. "She loved being part of this team É Her personality made her belong."
Her teammates remember Treest most for her bubbly personality and commitment to others. Lauren Funk recalls one team meeting when bickering had erupted. Treest stopped the argument by offering to play only two innings so someone else could play more. That selflessness and team spirit was a spark for the rest of the team.
"She was always happy. She was always in a good mood," remembered Samantha Daugherty.
"She was the most positive person on the team," agreed Megan Beard. "She knew when we were low how to keep us up and positive. She was the most spirited."
"I couldn't look at her without smiling," said Funk.
Thrush also praised Treest's attitude and her dedication, always the first to volunteer to help and to cheer on other members of her team. With the season kicking off and the Hornets striving to win their third championship in a row, he said Treest will be missed.
"Sara will be our angel in the outfield," he said. "This is something that we all believe."
