Levins: Fort Madison baseball team gets opportunity of lifetime to play at Busch Stadium

ST. LOUIS — It is the dream of most every kid growing up to one day suit up and play baseball in a Major League stadium.

For all but a tiny fraction of those kids, that dream remains just that.

The Fort Madison High School baseball team got to live out its dream on Sunday, playing an exhibition game against Taylorville, Illinois, at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals.

For many of the players, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to walk in the footsteps of their Major League idols, to sit in the same dugout and bullpen where their favorite players were just hours earlier, a chance to live out a dream they have had for as long as they can remember.

“It was pretty fun getting to play in a Major League stadium and we’ve never done that before. We had fun as a team. Our guys enjoyed it," said senior Landes Williams. "I played shortstop and pitched. It was pretty cool. Too bad they had a little turf thing over the mound so we didn’t actually get to feel the mound. But that’s all right. Its as pretty cool being where those big league guys were and seeing what they saw when they were pitching.”

“I like Yadier Molina. It as cool sitting where he sits," Tanner Settles said.

“It was really cool. I’ve always been a huge Cardinals fan growing up. Just being there where there have been a lot of great players was really cool. It was an awesome experience, who played center field and whose favorite player is Harrison Bader. “Just knowing how many MLB players and coaches have been in that dugout was awesome, especially from my favorite team.”

“Ever since I was a kid I’ve wanted to play in Busch Stadium. It was fun," said senior Kane Williams, whose favorite player is Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina. “We got to sit in the dugout and go to the bullpen and hang out and stuff. It was a lot of fun. In front of the dugout it had all their names on it, so that was cool.”

The trip all came about when Fort Madison head coach Ron Walker and his staff took over the program four years ago and tried to brainstorm ways to bring some excitement to the Fort Madison baseball program.

This one was a home run all the way around.

“When we took over here four years ago we were trying to find a way to make people excited about baseball again at Fort Madison," Walker said. "We thought this was a good way to do it. It had been since the mid-90s since Fort Madison has been down there at that stadium. We were supposed to go down during the pandemic year, but then baseball got cancelled. The plan was to do it every two years, so moving forward the plan was to do it again this year and it worked out well.”

The Fort Madison players and coaches arrived at Busch Stadium around 9:30 a.m. Sunday and got to take in batting practice, then watch the Cardinals' game against Cincinnati before taking the field themselves an hour later.

“We got to laugh and joke a little bit in the dugout and enjoy each other. We got there about 9:30 a.m. or so, so we got four or five hours of just hanging out, which is something we don’t do as players and coaches. It was fun to hang out at the ballpark, just walk around and look at stuff," Walker said. “We got to watch BP. Myself and four seniors got to go down on the field. We got to go on a tour of the stadium and clubhouse. We got to see the Cardinals’ president of baseball operations in the hallway getting on the elevator. That was pretty exciting.”

The Bloodhounds are in the heat of the Southeast Conference race and in the midst of the heart of the season. It was a much-needed break from the long grind of summer baseball. And what better way to build some team bonding than having a little fun and relaxation at the old ballpark?

“It went well. I think we won 9-0. Everyone did what they were supposed to do, so it was fun," Kane Williams said. “It was cool that we got to watch the game before, too.”

“I’ve never been on the field before and most likely I never will again, so it was cool," Johnson said

“It was really fun. Everyone was looking forward to it. Hopefully it relaxed everyone for this week," Settles said. “We’re really lucky to have that experience.”

“It was really nice because we’ve had a couple of loaded weeks. It was nice to be able to relax and just play baseball," Landes Williams said. “When the JV guys came in, we went out to the bullpen pretending like we were big league guys coming in, giving each other high fives and telling each other good job. It was a pretty cool experience.”

All in all, it was an unforgettable experience by all, and one that brought the team closer together with a chance to relax before making the final stretch run of the season.

“It was a lot of fun. It was the chance in the middle of the season to relax. The high school season is a grind. You’re out in the heat every day. You’re pushing the kids every day and they’re pushing you. It was a nice break to go down to a Major League stadium and enjoy each other’s compare, get some baseball work in and have fun doing it," Walker said. “Every kid has a dream of playing Major League Baseball. It doesn’t happen for most of us, but just to be on the field and that close to the Major Leaguers and being on the field was something we’ll never forget.”

Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA TODAY Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 31 years. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Fort Madison baseball team enjoys day at Major League ballpark