High school baseball player dies in crash, leaving ‘tight-knit’ NC community reeling
An 18-year-old baseball player died in a single-car crash, rattling a “tight-knit” North Carolina community, officials said.
William “Blake” Hughes is remembered as a hard-working high school senior with plans to play baseball in college. But his life was cut short as he was heading to his senior night game on Wednesday, April 26, according to The Stokes News and WFMY.
Hughes was driving when state troopers said his car ran off the road, hit an embankment and driveway, and flipped. He died at the scene of the crash, which was reported at about 4:15 p.m. along N.C. Highway 8, near his hometown of Walnut Cove.
“Stokes County is a rural county where nearly everyone is connected in multiple ways,” Stokes County Schools told McClatchy News in an email. “The loss of a teenager is always difficult, and it especially hurts in a small, tight-knit community. Even people who did not know Blake are affected as they see mutual friends grieving.
“Our thoughts and prayers are definitely with the Hughes family and all who are grieving right now.”
Hughes — who attended Stokes Early College High School — was on the baseball team at South Stokes High School. After the “tragic loss,” the district said counseling was available on the two campuses and canceled South Stokes’ athletic events.
Then, the school announced that its varsity baseball team decided to have a “game that will honor the life of Blake.” At the May 1 game, donations are expected to be collected for Hughes’ family.
“This would be an opportunity for our community to come together to mourn and support the family during this difficult time,” South Stokes wrote on Facebook. “Thank you for the thoughts and prayers.”
Before his death, Hughes had signed to play at Rockingham Community College in Wentworth, roughly 30 miles east of Stokes County. Though he was a pitcher and first baseman, he also could play in the outfield, The Stokes News reported.
“Blake is a very hard-working young man and leads by the way he practices, the way he plays, the way he works, and the way he carries himself on and off the field,” Shane Worth, baseball coach at South Stokes, told the news outlet in December.
Speed is believed to be a factor in the crash that killed Hughes, Trooper Ned Moultrie told McClatchy News in a phone interview. No one else was in the car with the 18-year-old at the time of the accident, which was reported roughly 20 miles north of downtown Winston-Salem.
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