CLARKSVILLE, Ind. — As the sun shines and birds chip, Clarksville senior baseball player Webster Walls's mind races.
"It makes me think about everything I've been through here," Walls said, standing at Clarksville High School's Wayne Stock Field. "All the memories, wins, my teammates. All the losses, all the heartbreaks."
But nothing could ever hurt more than knowing COVID-19 would prevent him from completing his high school career, canceling his senior season.
"I was in the car, going on a trip with my girlfriend," Walls said.
"I think somebody saw it on Twitter," Walls's girlfriend Sydney Stewart said. "And so they let them know that way. And I remember him breaking down and he was crying and trying to hide it from people.”
"Just really, I was heartbroken," Walls said.
"He actually has three little brothers that he was going to get to play ball with this year," Webster's father Nathan Walls said.
"We talked about it a whole lot," Webster Walls said of his brothers. "We've always went to practice together and everything, but actually being able to be on a team be in the dugout for each other supporting each other..."
"It was heartbreaking for all of us," Nathan Walls said. "It would be neat to have photos where they're all in uniform."
Instead of him sitting at home though, Stewart had an idea for her goal-driven boyfriend.
"He was talking about how much he was going to achieve this year and all the records he was going to break," Stewart said.
"Last year I had a really big season, I hit seven home runs," Webster Walls said. "I wanted to hit a home run at every school I went to through my high school career."
"I didn't want to take that away from him or let it take it away from him," Stewart said.
So she's taking him to every one of those schools. The duo gets permission from each institution's athletic director to use their baseball field, finds a pitcher and clears for takeoff.
"Having this opportunity really just puts me in a better mood about everything," Webster Walls said. "It makes me not think about the virus or not being able to play, just being able to go on every field and having someone that legitimately supports."
"He was just so bummed about the season being canceled and all that he couldn't do," Stewart said. "I've just seen how happy it makes him and how much better he feels about it."
"Anything right now that makes them smile, or gets them happy or gets them excited about playing ball is wonderful," Nathan Walls said. "At this point, all that's left is trying to make some memories."
The senior is set to create more as a Bellarmine Knight for his college baseball career. There, you'll see what's been on display on every high school field.
"People who don't know who's on the field when they walk up, when they leave, they can tell you who's having the most fun out there," Nathan Walls said. "And I've had several people tell me there's no question that Webster was having more fun on the ball field than anybody else. He’s always trying to make a bad situation seem a little better. So I’m really proud of that."
Contact sports reporter Tyler Greever at tgreever@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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