Highland baseball program celebrates alumni weekend with games, awards ceremony

The weekend of Aug. 7 was a special one for the Highland High School baseball program and its supporters.

It was a time for present and past players and their families to play a few games, reminisce, and reconnect on the field. Old memories were rekindled — and exaggerated — and new ones were created.

“Considering all the circumstances (with COVID-19) and everything, I think it all went pretty well,” Highland coach Joel Hawkins said. “On Friday night (Aug. 7), we played a game with 2020 club vs. the 2015 state championship club and it was just a fun game and we had about 11 guys on both sides. It was a really fun, family-oriented type of weekend.”

As Hawkins noted, on Aug. 7 at Glik Park, the 2020 Bulldog played the 2015 Class 3A state championship club featuring former standout Grant Geppert.

The 2020 Bulldogs won the 2 1/2 hour game and, for departing senior players like outfielder Landyn Oestringer, the chance to play one more game with his fellow seniors and teammates and meet alumni such as Geppert made the weekend well worth the time.

“It was just fun to get to play with everybody again,” Oestringer said. “It was a good time, we won and it was just fun to play against them with coach Hawkins on the mic. It was a really fun time.”

Oestringer also had the play of the game early when he robbed Geppert of an extra-base hit with a running, diving catch of his line drive to right-center in the first inning.

Then, the night of Aug. 8 at Glik Park, the all-alumni game took on a more family involved feel as the teams were divided up with the alumni players playing with their sons.

“We had some of the younger folks involved in that game a little bit and it was really nice to see some of the families and we were able to get together after the game too,” Hawkins said.

Honoring 1990 regional title team

The best part of Aug. 8 was honoring the Bulldogs 1990 regional championship team during the alumni game.

Hawkins took time to recognize and honor that group for their success and their role in helping jump-start the winning culture of Highland baseball.

“They (the 1990 team) kind of initiated success that’s kind of become traditional with baseball here,” Hawkins said. “They won the conference in 88, 89, and then in 90 and they had an amazing run and kind of set the bar for the rest of our teams.”

Two days later on Aug. 9, Highland finished out its alumni weekend festivities with an awards ceremony for the 2020 Bulldogs team at Highland High School.

HHS 2020 team members and their families received awards and recognition for their contributions to the program over the past four years.

Special presentations

Two special presentations were also made during the program as well. Kolby Frey was presented with the annual Tim Walter Scholarship for $1,000 for college and Austin Toler was awarded the 34 Award. This award honors hard work in the offseason and is celebrated in honor of the late Greg Holthaus, who wore No. 34 for Highland during his Bulldogs career.

Walter, a former Bulldog player, passed away from an aortic aneurysm in 2005, and Holthaus passed away from complications from having an enlarged heart in 2013. Walter’s parents have handed out a $1,000 scholarship each year since he passed away.

Hawkins noted the two families have been special to the program and have a unbreakable bond with HHS baseball.

“Both families have really had to deal with losses and they have been so classy in the way they have kept giving in the name of each of those young men,” Hawkins said. “They really are special families and that’s why we’ve kind of kept them connected to the baseball program.”

Oesteringer, Hawkins enjoy the festivities

Oestringer, who is heading to Lewis and Clark to play baseball next spring, said the weekend and the awards night were great ways for the 2020 team to have some final closure after not having a season due to COVID-19.

“We watched some videos that were really cool to watch and the awards were fun,” Oestringer said. “It was sad that we couldn’t play our senior season but what can you do with all that is going on (with COVID-19).”

Hawkins said the weekend was wonderful and the effort putting the event together was well worth it.

“We had a really nice time and we are blessed with so many good people and it sure was fun to see a bunch of them (players there) and to honor them and in some cases to make fun of them ... we had a really good time,” Hawkins said.