Cold Spring Springers play in honor of late bat boy

COLD SPRING, Minn. (FOX 9) - In Cold Spring, Minnesota, the Springers Town Ball team plays with something missing.

That something, or someone in this case, is 10-year-old Bryce Holthaus, who passed away in September 2016.

By all accounts, Holthaus was a happy, normal kid. He served as the team’s batboy, but he was much more than that. He was the heartbeat of the Springers and was a welcomed member of the team each summer.

One day he was playing, like any 10-year-old does, when he fell down. His parents didn’t think anything of it, but he asked to go to the doctor, which they thought was strange.

At the hospital, Holthaus went unconscious due to bleeding in his brain. There was no warning and no signs. He passed away Sep. 10, 2016 at 10 years old.

The players say the team was broken for a while due to the loss, but they refused to let his memory die.

At the Cold Spring Baseball Park, a bench bearing Holthaus’ name and number 7 still sits next to the field. On ball caps around the park, you can see a “#7” memorial patch and on the players’ wrists are wristbands in his memory.

FOX 9’s Town Ball Tour coverage kicks off Wednesday morning as Shayne Wells makes the rounds through Cold Spring. Then, starting at 5 p.m., FOX 9 will broadcast live from the ballpark.