Minor League Baseball Coach Killed by Line Drive

Fox News ^ | 23 July 07 | AP

[stm]

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The batting coach for the Tulsa Drillers was pronounced dead at a hospital Sunday evening after being struck in the head by a line drive as he stood in the first-base coach's box during a Texas League game with the Arkansas Travelers, police said.

The game was suspended in the ninth inning after Mike Coolbaugh was hit by a hard-hit foul ball off the bat of Tino Sanchez and taken to Baptist Medical Center-North Little Rock.

Phil Elson, spokesman for the Travelers, said Coolbaugh was struck by the ball on the right side of his head, or on the forehead — "I'm getting conflicting reports" — and fell to the ground immediately.

[stm]

Dreadful

[NonValueAdded]

I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often.

[ClearCase_guy]

The only other fatality that I know of:

Raymond Johnson Chapman (January 15, 1891 – August 17, 1920) was an American baseball player, spending his entire career as a shortstop for Cleveland.

He is notable as the only Major League Baseball player to date to have been killed in a game, when he was hit in the head by a pitch thrown by Yankees hurler Carl Mays that he appeared not to have seen.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Aluminum bat?

[DCBryan1]

I was sitting in section 104, right behind where he was killed less than 30 feet away. It was terrible. I have never heard 2,000 people so quiet. The kids were scared and everyone was praying. The Travs are playing tonight against St. Louis. They might call it off, I don't know.

Tulsa will return Thursday. The teammate that killed him has got to be feeling so bad. Pray for him also.

Pray for Mandy, the coach's wife who has two (2) young sons with him, and one due to be born in October!

I plan on contributing to any memorial/scholarship and I hope you do to.

Read more at
www.travs.com

or

www.ardemgaz.com

....still stunned...

[cripplecreek]

I know I’ve seen some pitchers take some pretty hard hits.

[ninergold3]

I just saw this on Fox News. How horrible for all involved. I can't imagine being at a game and witnessing something like this.

We were at a Reno Silver Sox game on the 3rd (over 100 people from our church attended) and saw a horrific collision at home plate between a runner and the Sox catcher. The game was delayed for a good 20 minutes while the catcher lay motionless. The children with us were crying as they thought he was dead.

We did what we do best - PRAYED. Yep - right there in the stands 100 people stood up and prayed. Not long after that he began to move his arms and legs and - while he was being carried off the field - raised his arm in a salute. We found out later that he had a moderate concussion and a sore neck. He was going to be out for a week and then back on the field. Praise God!

[DCBryan1]

Wooden bat.

[DCBryan1]

Aluminum bat?

No. Wooden bat, no protective headgear on the coach. He was talking to either someone on 1st base or 2nd base (thats his job) and the ball hit him in the temple. He went down like a log and never knew what hit him.

Prayers up for Tulsa coach Mike!

[DJ MacWoW]

Prayer warriors needed

[Hydroshock]

Prayers setn, RIP.

[PGalt]

Condolences to Mike Coolbaugh’s family and friends.

[ninergold3]

DC - I am so sorry to hear that you were a witness to this. My prayers are with you and all who were at the game. I also pray for Mandy and the children. How sad that there is going to be a little one who will never get to meet his/her daddy.

[ninergold3]

DC - I am so sorry to hear that you were a witness to this. My prayers are with you, all who were at the game and the poor player who hit the ball. What a horrible accident.

I also pray for Mandy and the children. How sad that there is going to be a little one who will never get to meet his/her daddy.

[fightinbluhen51]

Funny thing is...I was at a Minor League Game Friday Night. Had I had a glove, I coulda prevented someone walking behind me from taking a shot in the back of the head from a line drive. Last row before the concourse, 10 rows back of dug out on 1B side, a shot from a right handed batter sliced off the bottom of the barrel. Poor girl had no clue what happened, but she at least didn’t loose conciousness. My reactions started to catch the ball and then my brain said “That’ll hurt your hand pretty good”, so I pulled it down.

Definately a prayer goes out for the family of the coach.

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Yeah, this is one of the riskier elements of baseball. When I played in high school, one of my team mates was nailed in the left temple while sitting in the dugout. It knocked him out and damned near killed him. He recovered but carried a nasty black eye for six months afterward.

[COBOL2Java]

I heard about it this morning on the radio. How awful. Prayers for his family. I assume it’s definitely an occupational hazard for that kind of work, but geez...

[DCBryan1]

Tulsa Driller's coach Mike Coolbaugh

From Arkansas Traveller's Website.

07/22/2007 11:36 PM

Drillers Coach Killed By Line Drive

Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock, AR – Tulsa Drillers hitting coach Mike Coolbaugh was hit on the head by a line drive while coaching first base in the ninth inning on Sunday. Coolbaugh was attended to by medical personnel who were on site and taken to Springhill Baptist Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:47 p.m. Coolbaugh was a 17-year veteran of professional baseball who had joined the Drillers as hitting coach on an interim basis on July 3 after the resignation of Orlando Merced.

Coolbaugh, 35, had played pro ball since 1990 and had 44 games of Major League service with Milwaukee and St. Louis. His brother, Scott, also a long time professional ballplayer is currently the batting coach for the Frisco RoughRiders. Coolbaugh, who lived in San Antonio, is survived by his wife Mandy, and two young sons Jacob and Joseph. Mandy is expecting the couple's third child in October.

The game was suspended in the ninth inning with the Travs leading 7-3. It is scheduled to be resumed during the Drillers' next visit to Arkansas between Thursday, July 26 and Sunday, July 29.

[goodnesswins]

How sad. I spent a week in the hospital after getting hit in the eye with a thrown softball during practice years ago. (Long story)

Prayers for his family.

[freepertoo]

I was hit by a hard ball when I was kid at a baseball game. Knocked me cold. Now I’m grateful that’s all that happened to me! Wow.