Remembering Davis Heller
Dear Davis,
Delaying writing this letter to you has been my way of denying that you’re gone. As if by not writing it I could somehow reverse time or make it less real that you have passed away. But it’s time. The Lord impressed that on me today as I sat in my office crying again at this world losing you. I hope that by writing this I’ll be able to encourage others to write to you in the mourning process.
You were a special young man, Davis. I have a feeling you know that now as you’ve had a chance to hear or see or feel all of the outpouring of emotion as you sit with Jesus now. You were a tremendous teammate and easy to coach. You and I both know that a big part of that is the legacy your dad spoke into you. He guided you and spoke life into you, and you were receptive. You listened. That was such a tremendous example to me as a dad. You guys had the kind of relationship I desire with my son and am building with him now. I’m so grateful for your example.
As a teammate, you definitely joined us at the right time. We had a group mature enough and ready to accept the talent you had to offer the group. They accepted you and you fit right in. It’s easy to think you’d obviously be accepted in hindsight after you go 10-0 and outdueled a pitcher now working his way up the minor league system to put us in the state title game your freshman year. But everyone involved knows that our program was still growing and maturing in that way. You laid a foundation for other impact freshmen to play varsity baseball early because you displayed how to do it - love your teammates, let your play speak for itself, and maintain those relationships for years to come.
That last thing has been the most amazing thing to me. We might talk about “brotherhood” and all of that, but it’s really a vision as much as anything else. It’s a lot like what Jesus told his disciples about unity. He tells us to reflect that unity, but most of the time we don’t. Most of our guys don’t really grasp how powerful the brotherhood idea can be in their lives. But you did and the group you stayed close to did. Even after you left, you guys stayed close, vacationed together, and texted daily. One of the guys told me that last week. You guys were still texting each other daily. What a blessing that was to hear as he and I cried together. You guys made a lifelong community out of a team. That’s nothing short of extraordinary.
But you were extraordinary in another way - you were the same person everywhere you went. That’s an example of integrity. You were the same with your teammates at Valor as you were at Mesquite as you were at Slammers as you were at South Mountain as you were at Alabama as you were at North Greenville. That is Jesus working in and through you. It doesn’t mean you’re perfect, it means you were you. From the time I met you at 14 years old until the last text or conversation you had with your teammates, you were the same man. For that, we are so proud.
For that, Davis, I want to honor you and as many of the stops you made in the baseball world as we can. Starting with the guys at North Greenville, we’re going to encourage brotherhood building by buying Traeger grills for baseball programs you impacted to use as a point of connection for them. We’re going to use 100% of the funds collected to that use. Each $1,500 increment will allow us to give a grill and create that connection for them. We’re working on getting an engraving to put on each of the grills with your name on it. We’ve done this at a few places this year already and can think of no better way to honor you. You connected with your teammates, you brought people together, and now let that be your legacy at the places you’ve been in the baseball world.
We love you, buddy. We’ll be united again some day. Until then, may your memory be honored by uniting others.
Love,
Coach Wahl
To donate to this effort to honor Davis, use the pulldown menu below to change ‘General’ to ‘Davis Heller Brotherhood Builder.’ 100% of the funds will go towards us giving a grill to the programs where Davis played. We’ll start with North Greenville and work through the programs Davis impacted in $1,500 increments.