Crawford Co. T-ball team honors fallen law enforcement heroes

KNOXVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – In the early morning hours of May 5, 2016, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office investigator T.J. Freeman responded to a call for help.

It wasn’t a citizen in need. Instead, it was fellow officers in pursuit of a suspect.

Freeman died that day after the suspect’s car crashed into his. He was 29 years old.

Nearly a year later, he and several other middle Georgia officers who’ve died in the line of duty are being remembered by a Crawford County T-ball team.

“I think it’s amazing what this community and what this mother and father have really done,” says Vicki Lindsey, Freeman’s mother.

In place of the kids’ names on the backs of the Wee Ball Yankees’ jerseys–or a sponsor–is a name of a fallen police officer.

Christopher Ryan, the team’s coach, came up with the idea.

“I just wanted to show support for the local law enforcement that’s here that allows us to play baseball,” Ryan says.

“We’re hoping they’ll take that when they get of age,” Crawford County Sheriff Lewis Walker says. “That they’ll look back and see these officers’ names were on the back of their shirt and kind of realize what law enforcement does in each community.”

Of course, it will be a while before any of these kids are hitting sacrifice flies. Right now, they’re just being kids, while honoring those who’ve given the ultimate sacrifice.

There are eight players on the team. Each player wears the name of a different officer.