Volunteer Of The Month: Kasey Turnock Builds Baseball Bridges Across County

As a freshman on Severna Park High School’s 2022 junior varsity baseball team, Kasey Turnock had the opportunity to participate in Opening Day for Anne Arundel County’s Challenger Baseball. That experience was so powerful for Kasey that he has continued to volunteer with the program.

On June 8, at a season-ending celebration, Terri Hamrick-Oeschger, Challenger Baseball program coordinator and coach, presented Kasey with the Making A Difference Award for his season-long dedication to the program, including coordinating a special day of play between the adaptive players and middle-school-aged travel baseball teams.

Completely designed and managed by Kasey, a special day of play took place on June 1 at Lake Waterford’s adaptive ballpark, Freedom Field, between the Challenger athletes and travel teams from the Greater Severna Park Athletic Association’s Green Hornets baseball program and Rawlings A’s Prospects.

“I remembered how great it felt as a freshman to play with the Challenger players at their Opening Day. I wanted other young players to experience that,” Kasey said. “The Challenger baseball players were so happy to play and talk with us. I knew from their smiles that we were making a difference in their lives. That felt really good.”

He reached out to Michael Phillips, Green Hornets baseball commissioner, and several travel teams to create the fun-filled event.

“Kasey did a phenomenal job communicating and coordinating this opportunity,” said Green Hornets 14U baseball coach Dan Smulow. “He took the time to talk to our players about the Challenger program. The experience taught my players that baseball is more than a game. As a coach, I was thrilled to see everybody playing the game we love with the entire focus on making new friends and having fun rather than an outcome on a scoreboard.”

Smulow added that he greatly appreciated the opportunity and believed he and his team benefited more from the experience than the Challenger players. He plans to participate in future Challenger events.

Heidi Hostelli’s son Brock has been a Challenger player for four years, two seasons a year.

“I think it’s great that the Green Hornets take part in Challenger Baseball because the kids feel like they are part of a larger community,” Hostelli said. “Our kids are part of baseball, not just Challenger Baseball. When the Green Hornets athletes play with them, it gives our kids a sense of normalcy in this crazy world we live in.”

Guy Taylor is an adaptive player who graduated from Severna Park High School, where he played unified bocci, tennis and bowling. He said he “loves to play with” the Severna Park players. “They are fun (and) teach some things about baseball, but really, it’s just fun to have more people to play with.”

Kasey, a rising senior at Severna Park High School who plans to study sports management in college, has volunteered with Challenger Baseball since his experience as a freshman. He plans to continue to volunteer during his senior year and during his college breaks. Future events with county travel baseball teams are already in the works.

“Kasey’s idea and coordination of this event was just tremendous,” said Kevin Lyons, Green Hornets 15U travel baseball coach. “We will definitely participate again. It was very rewarding … just a great day for everyone involved.”

Although Challenger Baseball has been in Anne Arundel County for two decades, many people, including those in other baseball programs like Green Hornets, don’t know about the program. Hamrick-Oeschger said that when young people like Kasey take an extra step to make a difference, they are helping the program spread its wings and reach more people, and she is grateful.

Kasey volunteered two days a week throughout the Challenger season. He also proudly accompanied the teams during Little League Day at Oriole Park at Camden Yards when players and coaches walked around the warning track in their team uniforms and were cheered on by Orioles players and coaches.

Other Severna Park players have also gotten involved. Earlier this year, SPHS seniors Samuel Cook and Daniel Lynn led a team of fellow students to raise awareness and funds for the organization Challenger Baseball as part of the high school’s Leadership Institute. The project raised funds, collected equipment and created more than 40 supportive cards for Challenger Baseball.

“I am not surprised that Kasey stepped up and got involved in Challenger Baseball,” said Dave Ferris, a former Severna Park High School junior varsity head baseball coach who first introduced Kasey and his teammates (including Lynn) to adaptive sports at Challenger Baseball Opening Day events attended by Ferris’ teams. “Opening Day is emotional. It’s a lot of fun, for me and for the players. Kasey immediately approached me and asked for (Hamrick-Oeschger’s) contact information because he wanted to do more, get more involved.

“I am not surprised at all that Kasey, and other high school players including Daniel (Lynn), were moved by participating in the Challenger Baseball program Opening Day and continue to be involved,” Ferris added. “These young men are going to be great leaders in the community long after their playing days are over.”