Vanderbilt pitcher Donny Everett dies in drowning accident
Donny Everett, a freshman pitcher for Vanderbilt University, died at the age of 19 after drowning in a lake near Nashville on Thursday night.
Everett and four friends, including two Vanderbilt teammates, were fishing when Everett attempted to swim across Normandy Lake and was pulled under water.
In a statement, Vanderbilt spokesman Rod Williams said:
“We learned last night of the tragic death of Donny Everett, an outstanding young man who exemplified the best of our university. As you can imagine, the team, the athletic department and the university are trying to come to terms with this tragedy. His parents and loved ones are on our minds and in our prayers as we share in their grief.
Even as they grieve Everett’s sudden death, Vanderbilt will go ahead and play its opening game of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night against Xavier. The team drove to Clarksville, Tenn., to be with Everrett’s family earlier in the day and the loss has hit the community hard:
Everett was 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings for the Commodores this season and had been considered a first-round prospect for the 2015 MLB draft before making it clear he planned to attend Vanderbilt. He was selected in the 29th round by the Milwaukee Brewers but did not sign.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
