my brother, Wesley's eventful weekend

This past weekend my brother & his team played in Maryland. (Wes plays for the Georgia State Panthers in Atlanta, a D1 baseball team) On Friday night while they were taking batting practice before the game Wes was shagging balls as usual since he's a pitcher. He was behind the outfield fence getting balls when the guys yelled his name.. when he looked up it was too late & the ball hit him smack in the mouth!! This collision ended with a trip to the ER and four stitches in his mouth.. thankfully no teeth were knocked out, just sore..



He was planning on pitching Saturday with the bum mouth and all.. it didn't exactly go as planned. Again, during batting practice he was taking abunch of balls to the coach pitching. Wes was sure to watch the batter to make sure he didn't get hit again... You guessed it, a line drive came right at him, he jumped up & around to avoid the ball but it hit him. If only that was it.. when he landed he heard/felt his ankle pop. Off to the ER he went, this time he didn't get off as easy. After x-rays he was told it was broken, a bone in his right ankle. (the foot he lands on when pitching) He was put in a soft cast and finished out the weekend in Maryland awaiting the trip back to Atlanta to see an ortho doctor.



The team flew to Maryland so he was shuttled around the airport in this....



After seeing the doctor today in Atlanta and being put in a hard cast, he was told his season was pretty much done. When you add up the time in the cast, plus time in a boot, then strengthening his ankle again... it puts a dark cloud over the remainder of this season.

My heart breaks for him.. he's worked for 4 years to get where he's at now. My dad and I were talking earlier & he compared it to an Olympic athlete that trains and trains then has one injury that sidelines him/her. Such a disappointment, such a helpless feeling.. Wes will be okay whatever he decides to do after this year. He has one year of eligibility left if he continues his dream!!

Please pray that he has a peace about what steps to take next. Also pray for his sanity, he can't drive & has to depend on the MARTA railway system to get to class. So many little things he'll have to overcome.. Thankfully dad, mom, Hannah, Amber, and the girls were already planning to go to Atlanta next weekend!! Nothing makes you feel better than family, especially when you're the Griswalds!!

We love you Wes and are so proud of you!!