Bat Boy, 9, Dies After Being Hit In Head With Swing

A 9-year-old bat boy with the Liberal Bee Jays who was hit in the head by a swing in the on-deck circle died Sunday, according to the team.

Kaiser Carlile was working with the amateur baseball team on Saturday when he ran into the on-deck circle to retrieve a bat. The on-deck batter didn’t see him and accidentally hit him with a practice swing.

Carlile was wearing a helmet.

According to KWCH, Carlile was taken to Via Christi-St. Francis hospital with critical injuries.

The Bee Jays announced on their Facebook page that Carlile died late Sunday night:

“Right before he fell, the umpire and the base player both rushed up and caught him before he hit the ground,” witness Malachi Lingg told KWCH. “They caught him and just set him on the [ground] and they all clustered around him quickly. It was really silent. Everybody was quiet. I think they were all really sad because it was a really small boy.”

KWCH said Carlile has been working as a bat boy with the team for the entire summer. He started off trying it out for just a game, but eventually he became part of the team, riding with the team on the bus to games.

The National Baseball Congress released the following statement:

The team set up a GoFundMe page for anyone wishing to donate money to cover the family’s financial needs.

Image via Liberal Bee Jays Facebook.