By MARISSA ALANIS and BRANDON GEORGE / The Dallas Morning News

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Chris Gavora's death gave others a second chance at life.

The Grapevine High School baseball player who died Saturday after suffering a severe head injury in a freak accident had recently signed up to be an organ and tissue donor.

His parents, Bill and Jill Gavora, described it as "a final act of selflessness."

"Because of his gifts, multiple organ transplants have now been successfully completed around the region and country including that to a 10-year-old girl in Arkansas who received his heart with mere hours to live," they wrote in a statement Monday.

The Grapevine-Colleyville school district is investigating the incident, which occurred during warm-up in the high school's batting cages before a tournament Thursday.

The medical advisory committee with the University Interscholastic League will discuss at its next meeting whether helmets should be required for pitchers in batting cages. Chris was not wearing a helmet while pitching, a practice typical for many high school teams.

"We always cover any extensive injuries or deaths that occur," said David Sperry, a founding member of the committee and a pediatric neurologist at Dallas Pediatrics Neurology Associates. "We're always trying to make the sports activities of school kids safer and safer."

Helmet issue

The committee meets twice a year to discuss safety issues related to student athletes in the UIL. Dr. Sperry said the committee will review the Grapevine High incident at its April 15 meeting and can make recommendations to the UIL legislative council.

Dr. Sperry said requiring helmets for pitchers in batting cages has never come up before.

"The last meeting, we were talking about helmets for pole vaulters," he said. "More often than not, we're dealing with football-related head injuries. Very rarely have we had to deal with any baseball-related head injuries."

The Grapevine-Colleyville school district is also reviewing safety procedures. Chris had been pitching to a teammate in a batting cage when a line drive from another batting cage hit him.

"Preliminary findings indicate that secondary protective screen netting was not in place," the district said in a statement Friday. "A teammate in [another] cage hit a line drive that went through an opening in the net, across an open area, and through the other batting cage's opening."

When Chris' teammates learned of his death while at a tournament Saturday afternoon, they took part in a brief prayer with members of the Euless Trinity and Keller Central baseball teams.

"They had a fallen teammate," Trinity coach Dave Evartt said. "It was our way of showing respect."

After a weekend of mourning, the Mustangs returned to practice Monday.

At one point, Grapevine High head baseball coach Tim McCune reminded players to wear helmets while hitting to infielders, not a normal protocol at most high school baseball practices. Mr. McCune declined to talk to a reporter.

"He's struggling," said Tracy Evatt, Grapevine baseball booster club president. "He loves those kids like they're his own."

Players took batting practice on the main playing field while the batting cages yards away remained vacant.

The Grapevine baseball team is scheduled to play in a 16-team tournament Thursday through Saturday in Midland. Plans for this weekend have not been determined, said Steve Trachier, the athletic director for the Grapevine-Colleyville school district.

Team's schedule

Midland High School coach Barry Russell said he had not received word on whether Grapevine would still travel to Midland. Mr. Russell said that Midland High and Midland Lee, the host schools of the tournament, would have some kind of fundraiser for the Gavora family. That could include passing a hat around during games or donating a portion of ticket sales.

"We would like to try to do something for them," Mr. Russell said.

Extra counselors were available Monday at Grapevine High to help students and staff cope with their grief.

The school is considering a memorial tribute in honor of Chris, but no decisions have been made, said Megan Overman, school district spokeswoman.

Postings continued to pour in on Chris' MySpace page on Monday as friends wrote about the 17-year-old with a big heart, cute dimples and a love of baseball.

The Gavora family, who moved to Colleyville in August from Virginia, thanked the community in the Dallas-Fort Worth area as well as school officials, medical personnel, his teammates, friends and relatives for their support.

They described Chris as "a normal teenager in most respects."

"He was sensitive, fun-loving, did well in school, was respectful of others, and a good ball player," they wrote in their statement. "He loved life, and people; and cared deeply for the welfare of others."

Chris also has a twin sister, Catherine.

"Our family is, as you might expect, in great pain, and we already miss him terribly," the statement read. "We are, however, people of faith who will, in time, recover from this terrible tragedy. Today, we mourn his death, but certainly honor his memory."

Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at J.E. Foust & Son Funeral Home, 523 S. Main St. in Grapevine. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church of Grapevine, 301 E. Texas St.

Staff writers Todd Wills and Randy Jennings contributed to this report.