A truly special moment occurred inside Vandegrift High School's baseball stadium last Saturday..
It began with the voice of the public address announcer saying these words, "at bat, Chris Lucido". It Lucido's 1st ever career at-bat.
It was equally emotional and exciting. The Vipers head coach, Allen McGee described it best,
"when I really reflect on his moment on Saturday, I get goose bumps".
It occurred at the bottom of the 1st inning in a non-district game vs Hyde Park. The Panthers pitch delivered two strikes from in front of the pitchers mound.
But, Lucido delivered on an 0-2 count. The crowd erupted after Lucido line drived it over the pitchers mound and into centerfield. The Vipers were elated as well, "to see him have the courage to go up there and hit it like he did was awesome", said Vandegrift infielder, Justin Moore.
Lucido himself reflected on that special moment, "I hit it past the pitcher's mound the fans from Hyde Park cheered for me. It was great".
It was a moment the 4-year veteran bat boy will never forget. A bat boy who is prideful in job and loved by everyone in the Vipers dugout, "I'll say he's one of the top bat boys in the nation", said Garrett Moore
But, this bat boy has quite a story. Lucido was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 3 and later diagnosed with an intellectual disability and he lost his father five and half years ago due to prostate cancer...
Chris's mom, Barb Lucido, "that's a huge part of a young man's life to have their dad around"
Mrs. Lucido said her son's role models and positive male figures in his life are all part of Vandegrift athletics..
During a recent practice at Vandegrift High School, I asked Chris to show me how to properly be the best bat boy on game day. Lucido quickly pointed out in detailed fashion that I must have batting gloves on and that he places one hand on the middle of the bat and the other near the top to pick up the bat before jogging back to the dugout.
That's dedication to his job as a bat boy and dedication to the team. That love for their bat boy made last Saturday's at-bat a life lasting memory, "to see the smile on his face as he was rounding the bases, it was just priceless", said Barb Lucido.
Priceless, indeed!