March 26, 2015. It was a day that changed so many lives in one, fleeting instant. A junior varsity baseball game. An errant throw. An indescribable, unexplainable tragedy.
It was the day the Valdosta-Lowndes County community lost Colton Shaw, a freshman member of the Valdosta Wildcats’ JV baseball team. The ‘Cats were in Moultrie playing Colquitt County’s JV team. In between the fifth and sixth innings, the Packers were warming up, taking grounders and throwing them to first base. A throw got away and sailed into the first base dugout – the one the Wildcats occupied. The ball struck Colton, an infielder, in the head. Balls fly into dugouts all the time during baseball games. It’s not all that uncommon for players to get hit. But this time it was different.
Upon impact, Colton fell up against the bench then immediately fell to the floor. Valdosta’s coaches rushed to Colton’s side. Colquitt’s athletic training staff also ran to the dugout. Two parents of Valdosta players who were medical professionals recognized the seriousness of Colton’s injury and also assisted. Colton was rushed to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, where doctors placed him on life support. He never regained consciousness. On March 27, Colton passed away quietly.
The tragedy shook the entire South Georgia region. Kids play sports. The rivalries get heated and sometimes kids suffer injuries. But players don’t lose their lives during games. No amount of training, no handbook, no coaching clinic can prepare anyone for such a tragedy. “Colton was a very quiet and reserved young man around the coaches. But he was a hard worker and he was all about baseball. He was the most liked kid in our 40-man group of players,” recalls VHS head baseball coach Bart Shuman. “He didn’t say much but once we got to the field, he was all about business.”
Colton’s father, Clay Shaw, had coached his son for nearly four years. He remembers a selfless player and friend who always encouraged his teammates. “Every daddy has their opinion of their children. But Colton was always different than most kids. He was never a selfish player or friend. For example, once he and a friend were in a fishing competition with two or three others at a birthday party. Colton hooked a fish and then handed the rod to a friend. Colton said he had time to catch another fish. That’s just the way he was,” recalls Clay.
The Wildcats soldiered on after Colton’s passing. It was what he would have wanted. However, sense of loss didn’t easily go away. “The team was just devastated. Colton was so close to his teammates. Off the field and in the locker room, he was one our most likeable kids,” says Coach Shuman. The ‘Cats struggled for a while after the tragedy. They played but baseball wasn’t their top priority. “They had lost a good teammate and a friend. Baseball is way down the ladder when you’re talking about life and death. It took us awhile program-wide to get over it.”
Colton was projected to be a second baseman at the varsity level. He had the work ethic, the character, and the love of the game to be a tremendous player. “He could really play anywhere on the field. He was a solid middle infielder. His speed kind of kept him from playing much outfield. But if you needed him at any position, he could play. He even caught and pitched a little,” says Clay. Colton was an observant player, a true student of the game. He often studied opposing coaches and on several occasions, Colton deciphered the other team’s signs. “Colton could figure out things like that. Baseball was everything to him. He could tell you everything that went on during a game,” states Clay.
This year, though, the Wildcats will begin their season without one of their best and brightest. Colton may not be on the field physically but he will be there in spirit – watching, cheering, pulling for his teammates. “Colton’s locker is still there. There’s a vinyl picture of him in uniform behind the press box. I have a hat on my desk with his name on it. His teammates see those reminders of him every day. Time heals a lot of things but none of us will ever forget Colton and the incredible young man that he was,” says Coach Shuman. The Shaw family attends many of Valdosta’s home games. It’s a way to heal, both for the family and for the Wildcat fans. “He wouldn’t want us to stop. He impacted a lot of his friends. I think it’s healing for others to see us out there. The Wildcat family couldn’t have been better to us,” says Clay.
Talking about Colton isn’t easy for those who knew him. For Clay, everything is covered by a shadow. Baseball season isn’t easy. Hunting season isn’t easy. Nothing is easy. But everyone smiles when they remember Colton. He was a great teammate, a positive influence on those around him, a young man who could always be counted on. And those memories provide Clay Shaw with a glimmer of hope. “If God wanted someone to play baseball the way it was meant to be played, Colton would be the player. He really would,” says Clay.
Special Feature/South Georgia/March 2016
Remembering Colton Shaw
Robert Preston Jr.
