In late October, 2008 LHS graduate and baseball star Travis Sanders struck a deer while driving on Interstate 35. After the collision, he left his vehicle and walked into the road at which point he was hit and killed by an oncoming car.

“It was devastating to wake up and have a bunch of missed calls and texts,” baseball head coach Brad Stoll said. “When I finally figured out what it was about, I broke down. He had so much to offer and was such a good person. I miss him everyday.”

At age 23, Sanders left behind family, friends and an outstanding legacy.

Playing on the LHS team, Sanders was known for his small size, work ethic and impressive batting average.

“As a player, he was a grinder,” Stoll said.  “He was an overachiever. He was small in stature, but he played really, really hard.”

Senior, varsity baseball player Drew Green remembers watching Sanders play during his time at LHS.

“I came to a game and saw this little dude get into the box, and I was thinking that this kid didn’t stand a chance,” Green said. “Then he hit one pretty far and started hobbling toward first base. Someone I knew told me he tore his ACL, and I was amazed that he had enough courage to get in there after that.”

Sanders’ talent and dedication to the sport are acknowledged even by those who were not his teammates.

“He was one of Coach Stoll’s favorite players,” varsity baseball player, senior Bryce Montes de Oca said. “He was a big part of Lawrence High. He embodied the athletic program here.”

Sanders was more than just a baseball player, though. He was a caring person and hard working student.

“As a person, he was off the charts,” Stoll said. “He was polite, dependable and reliable.”

After graduating, Sanders continued his baseball career at Pratt Community College where he played for two years. Sanders later worked as a strength coach for several minor league baseball teams including the Pittsburgh Pirates and LA Dodgers.

“Had he not fallen in love and realized he wanted to be a family man, he would probably still be doing that,” Stoll said. “Being a minor league coach is not very conducive to being a family man.”

Having ended his time in the dugout and on the field, Sanders was working as a paraprofessional at South Middle School at the time of his death, though he had goals to become a police officer. He often returned to LHS, however, as a guest speaker for the baseball team.

Because he contributed greatly to the baseball program, this year’s baseball teams have chosen to honor him in several ways.

“[We] are wearing patches on our right shoulders that have the number one, which was Travis number,” varsity baseball player, junior Luke Zenger said. “I think we’ve retired his number to honor him. We took our team picture with his jersey in the middle just to show that his spirit is with us all year.”

In addition to wearing patches bearing Sander’s initials and number, team members distributed wristbands during their off-season and held a moment of silence for him at their first game.

Though his death is a difficult subject for all who knew him, the LHS baseball players have graciously honored his legacy.

“He deserves it,” Zenger said. “I think it’s a really good thing to do to honor his memory.”

These memorial services have given players the opportunity to honor Sanders’s life and reflect on their own.

“It puts things in perspective,” Montes de Oca said. “Things can happen and everything change. It makes you value every day.”