Funeral held for bat boy that was struck in the head

LIBERAL, Kansas – An entire community came out Tuesday to say goodbye to Kaiser Carlile. He was the 9-year-old bat boy for the Liberal Bee Jays. He was laid to rest.

Friends, family and teammates crowded the Seward County Community College gymnasium to remember him.

He died after being accidentally hit by a batter at Lawrence Dumont Stadium earlier this month. The service was planned so the players could attend.

The manager of the Bee Jays says that Kaiser impressed everyone.

“We didn’t think it was possible for him to hustle faster, but he did. We didn’t think it was possible for him to smile bigger, but he did. His effort gained the respect of our opponents and even the umpires who called Kaiser the hardest working kid in the league,” said Adam Anderson, Liberal Bee Jays manager.

The team has set up a gofundme site to help raise money for Kaiser’s family to cover medical and funeral expenses.

So far, they’ve raised more than $120,000.