The Rockvale Reapers may not have taken home the championship trophy, but they left the field with something even more valuable, a moment of kindness and inclusion no one will forget.
Eleven-year-old Tanner Grimes plays for the Reapers, and his younger brother, six-year-old Carson, has a rare genetic mutation called GRIN1. Carson can’t physically play baseball, but the team has always made him feel like he belongs. Without telling the family, the coaches had a special jersey made for him and named him team captain. During the postgame ceremony, Tanner gave his championship ring to Carson, not realizing the coaches had already ordered one just for him.
As part of a team tradition, the boys helped Carson circle the bases, something his mom, Shannon, says always brightens her day. That’s when the coach of the opposing Hendersonville team noticed and walked over to speak with Carson. Shannon, watching from a distance, saw him chatting away to her son, even though Carson is non-verbal due to his condition. Carson’s wide grin told the whole story.
A few minutes later, Tanner and his teammates rushed back to tell their mom the Hendersonville coach had given Carson the game-winning ball. Shannon was in tears. “Carson is changing this world for the better,” she said. “People see a kid who’s in complete care, in a wheelchair, and still always smiling. He shows that no matter how tough things get, you can still smile.”
Coach Jackson later told reporters that seeing the boys run Carson around the bases was a reminder of what really matters. “It was just special to watch… it puts things into perspective,” he said.
For Shannon, the most touching part is that the boys don’t see including Carson as anything unusual. “They just think he’s the coolest, and it’d be weird NOT to include him,” she wrote on Facebook. Many of Tanner’s teammates go to school with Carson and make an effort to greet him every day, even though it isn’t always easy to talk with someone who can’t respond.
Shannon hopes these lessons stick with the boys for life. She encourages parents not to hush their kids when they ask about someone’s wheelchair or medical equipment. Instead, walk over, say hello, and ask questions. “Inclusion starts with a conversation,” she says. “You never know how much a small hello can mean.”
The Reapers may not have won the scoreboard that day, but they showed the world what true victory looks like.
