More than a game: Coaches vs. Cancer returns to Mainland聽
LINWOOD, N.J. — The thing about baseball is, it鈥檚 so much more than just a game. It connects brothers to brothers, mothers to sons, grandkids to their beloved pop-pop. There鈥檚 a thread that weaves its way through generations, which is one of the reasons why baseball is called 鈥淎merica鈥檚 pastime.鈥�
Each year in April, South Jersey baseball fans are reminded of just how much more important life is than baseball 鈥� even to the most diehard fans.
Mike Edwards, an assistant baseball coach at Mainland Regional High School, came up with the idea for a Coaches vs. Cancer Classic a decade ago to help raise awareness for different types of cancers, and also to honor his mother, Kathy, who died from ovarian cancer. Edwards, who was formerly an assistant coach at Millville High, teamed up with head Thunderbolts coach Roy Hallenbeck to launch the event ten years ago, and in the years since the event has grown to become one of the most prestigious in South Jersey. Teams have been on the waiting list for years trying to get a spot in one of the ten games played at either Birch Grove Park in Northfield or at Mainland High.
The showcase event began with seven games but has since expanded to ten, including two Friday night games at Birch Grove followed by four games each on Saturday and Sunday at Mainland. This year, the event 鈥� normally held in late April 鈥� was bumped up to the first weekend of the season. The host Mustangs didn鈥檛 waste any time in starting things off right, as they rallied from a 5-0 deficit to beat Clearview, 9-8, in stunning fashion on a walk-off, bases-loaded single by sophomore outfielder Christian Elliott.
鈥淐oach came up to me before the at-bat, when (Clearview) was having a meeting at the mound, and he was like, you鈥檙e going to finish this game. That鈥檚 what was going through my head, and I did it,鈥� said Elliott, whose older brother, Mark, was a four-year starter in center field for Mainland before graduating in 2021. 鈥淚t just happened. It鈥檚 awesome. It鈥檚 surreal (to be in that situation).鈥�
Mainland coach Billy Kern was thrilled for his team, but quickly brought the conversation back to the real reason everyone was at Birch Grove Park on a cold night on the first day of April. He mentioned Clearview senior Michael Flax, a two-time cancer survivor and one of several to throw out a ceremonial first pitch prior to the game. Another was Peter Bunting, another cancer survivor and father of Grand Slam Sponsor Joe Bunting of Bunting Family Pharmacy in Northfield.
Flax, who tossed the ceremonial first pitch to his father, enjoyed another touching moment during the game when he blasted a three-run home run to put the Pioneers ahead.
鈥淚鈥檝e played a million games on this field, and that ball carried to the batting cages (in left-center). That was a shot,鈥� said Kern. 鈥淢ichael, we鈥檝e known about his story for a few years. He鈥檚 a great player 鈥� he hit another bullet besides that (home run). He had a fantastic day. Just the whole weekend 鈥� it鈥檚 emotional for a lot of these kids. Sometimes you don鈥檛 really get to see what some of these guys are going through at home until they are throwing out the first pitch because they want to recognize someone. So, we鈥檙e extremely proud of the work (Mainland assistant) Mike Edwards has done and what this event has grown into. It鈥檚 growing, and that鈥檚 the nice thing,鈥� Kern added.
鈥淲e鈥檙e hoping to sod our (junior varsity) field at the high school so that we can add two more games on Saturday and two on Sunday. We have a couple of phenomenal teams that have been on the waiting list that have no business being on any waiting list because they are so talented, but we鈥檝e had teams that have been with us for a decade now and we want to recognize them. The support we鈥檝e gotten from the community and our sponsors 鈥� and all the coaches just recognizing that it鈥檚 just bigger than baseball. I don鈥檛 think you get that in football or basketball, the camaraderie of South Jersey baseball. The coaches have a lot of respect between each other. It鈥檚 not about wins and losses. We鈥檙e extremely proud of this event.”
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