‘It went by so fast’ Players and parents honored on Senior Day — PHOTOS
In one of the more memorable Senior Day ceremonies that I’ve been a part of, the Trojans and their families were able to create memories on the diamond that will last well beyond framed photos on the mantle.
Hosting the celebratory ceremony at 10:15 a.m. 45 minutes prior to the first pitch against the visiting Lake Mead Christian Academy, Pahrump Valley head coach Drew Middleton said he had been spinning his wheels on how to create newly memorable traditions for the program.
Spotted working diligently prior to the ceremony, Rachael and Thom Walker did an exquisite job hanging up the senior banners alongside throwback photos of the boys in their youth baseball years to honor the young men.
“You know, you go to a Major League Baseball game and you see first pitches, or sons catching for their dads on opening day,” Middleton said. “Honestly, I was just at home watching a Mariners game earlier this week with my fiancee, and it clicked.”
The Trojans put their own spin on the ceremonial first pitch after each senior walked out with their family to the first-base line. A wall of Trojans players created a near red-carpet experience, lining the path as players and their families made their way from the stands onto the field.
Tossing the ceremonial first pitch to their sons, proud dads bursting to contain their emotions connected for a strike from 60 feet.
But unarguably the coolest moment of the day came shortly following the balls that made their way from behind the dish.
“I thought—what’s something else I can do, not just for the seniors but for their parents?” Middleton said. “Having the dads throw the first pitch and the sons sign the ball to give back to them—that’s something they’ll cherish forever.”
To make things even more poetic, graduating senior Kayne Horibe, while signing his dad Rich’s ball, dedicated it to his father—an ode to one of their most cherished memories growing up.
From 2009-2020, Rich and his family were heavily involved in dirt oval track racing, competing in IMCA Modified and Mini Dwarf classes in town.
“Kayne would help me in the pits working on the cars and cleaning the mud off between heats. In 2014 when we got home from the ‘Duel in the Desert’ race, I was cleaning out the race car trailer and there were a stack of old tires I was getting ready to toss out,” Rich said. “I saw something written on the tread of the one with some tire chalk and it read ‘I love #13 he’s my Dad’.”
Little did Rich know, Kayne had a few tricks left up his sleeve for the day.
“I guess Kayne wanted to recreate that which I didn’t realize at first when he signed the ball. My first thought was ‘Kid needs to practice signing baseballs more because his writing is terrible’,” Rich Horibe playfully said. “But he tried to mimic the 7-year-old boy once again writing on the tire, which was a very nice touch.”
If Middleton wanted to establish new long-standing traditions for the program, I’d say he was more than successful in doing so Saturday morning.
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
