Baseball Helps Teenager Deal with Tragedy

"Dillon, I have to come pick you up, our house is on fire …"

How does a teenage boy put his life back together after getting a phone call like that from his mom? When he gets home and sees the entire block closed off and lined with fire trucks? When he sees all of his family's possessions destroyed and his house a shambles?

What do you do?
 
Dillon Hollingsworth went to the one place that has given him peace and enjoyment — the baseball field.
 
Hollingsworth, 14, is about to finish his final season in the Redondo Sunset Pony League. He has played for 10 years and grown from a little kid playing tee ball into a hulking young man that will play baseball and football at Redondo Union High next year.
 
And he has been through a year like no other in his baseball career.
 
It started in the fall when he was on a club team and had to have an emergency appendectomy, missing a lot of playing time. Just as he was getting pumped up for his last season at Redondo Sunset the fire devastated his family, including his younger brother Beau and sister Ashley.
 
They lost almost everything they had. "On Dec. 11, we went about our normal routines that morning, not knowing that whatever we were wearing that day or had stashed in back packs or in the car would be all that we would have left at the end of the day," said Jeremy Hollingsworth, Dillon's dad.
 
Although Dillon lost all of his trophies, uniforms and practice clothes in the fire, his baseball equipment was saved. ''I always leave my glove, bats and gear in my bag in my mom's trunk," he said.
 
Once again a mom saves the day!
 
Dillon is playing multiple positions for the Redondo Sunset Mets, who are in second place and on a 10-game winning streak, including pitcher, left field and first base. He is leading the Pony Division in home runs and batting close to .700.
 
Yet that on-field success doesn't come close to describing this young man.
 
"It was really kind of a stressful time, having lost everything, but the big thing for me was I made sure everyone else got their stuff back before I worried about me and getting my stuff back. Everyone else was more important to me," he said.
 
Jeremy confirmed this. "Dillon was a rock and still is,'' he said. ''I remember taking him shopping to try and buy some clothes after the fire. He was so worried about his mom and siblings getting their things replaced that he only picked up a tee shirt. He refused to get anything else."
 
Dillon also decided to help coach his younger sister's softball team this season to help her deal with the fire. How does a teenage boy like coaching girls 5 and 6 years old in softball?
 
"It reminds me of how my dad used to coach me, except I'm a lot nicer. It's hard to throw the ball underhand, but it's actually a lot of fun. Watching the girls tackle each other as they chase a ball is really funny," he said.
 
After having his dad as his coach for his entire career, his coach this year is Chris Bennett, who has coached for more than 10 years at Redondo Sunset.
 
"Dillon is a great kid to have on the team and his teammates love him. To see how well he is playing this year after what he has gone through is amazing," Bennett said.
 
Dillon has some advice for any young kid.
 
"After the fire, when I got to the field, it helped me channel my emotions a lot more,'' he said. ''I would come out here every day to get away from the stress and practice. If any other teenagers have a tragedy like mine, they should find something they really enjoy and try to take time every day to focus on what brings them happiness, even if it is just for a few hours."
 
And he is looking forward to playing both football and baseball in high school. "I never played tackle football before because my parents didn't want me to because I was bigger than all of the other kids,'' he said. ''I'll be playing baseball with a lot of my friends from Sunset, so I'm psyched to get to high school."
 
The Mets start the playoffs on Tuesday at the Pony field at Alta Vista Elementary School. Dillon will be leading his team with his big bat swinging for the fences and strong arm on the mound, with hopes of winning one last championship before heading off to high school.
 
I am sure Dillon will be successful in high school and that his new coaches will be thrilled to have such an outstanding young man on their team.

Tom Borgia coaches the Redondo Union High School girls lacrosse team and the Redondo Beach Rebels.