Mantua and several other towns in Gloucester County are showing their support for youth baseball player Xavier Taylor, who is in critical condition at Cooper University Hospital in Camden.
The 12-year-old was warming up before a game on May 26 at Fellowship Columbia Bank Field when he was struck in the neck by a baseball.
The news spread quickly on social media and the hashtag #XavierStrong went viral. Among organizations supporting Xavier is Mantua Little League (MLL), spearheaded by board member Cara Kovalevich, who has five kids of her own. From May 29 to June 5, a portion of all league concession profits benefitted the Taylor family.
“The baseball community is a tight-knit group,” said MLL president Jack Steen. “We spend a lot of time being competitive, but they’re (the leagues) all connected with each other. If an injury happens, it affects everyone. I was beside myself when I first heard. The Little League creates rules for safety; you put these precautions in place to prevent these kinds of accidents.
“When it happens, it takes the air out of your lungs. It’s shocking to hear.”
Washington Township Youth Baseball players sold lemonade on June 6 and donated the profits to the Taylors. The league also sponsored a candlelight vigil on May 28 at the same field where Xavier was hurt.
“This is what makes our community so special,” noted a statement from the township’s Minutemen Baseball Booser Club. “When a family is facing challenges, our community comes together, supports one another and shows that no one has to face difficult times alone.
“Thank you to the Washington Township Youth Baseball Minutemen, the volunteers, players, parents and everyone who continues to support Xavier and his family.”
Homes where baseball players live in both Gloucester and Burlington counties also showed their support on the night of May 31 with Bats Out for X, leaving bats on their porches. Other homes, businesses and township organizations also hung blue lights, the color of Xavier’s league in Maple Shade.
“The outpouring of love, prayers and generosity shown by our community has been nothing short of remarkable,” the league said in a statement.
Washington Township Youth Baseball players show off shirts with Xavier Taylor’s number – 6 – and the hashtag #XavierStrong.
