On Monday evening, the Louisville Men’s Basketball team held a charity softball game benefiting Jaxen’s Journey (www.Jaxensjourney.com). Jaxen’s Journey is a charity started by UofL strength and conditioning coach Andy Kettler and his wife who lost their son, Jaxen, to brain cancer at the age of two in July 2016. The charity is to help with pediatric cancer research.
The two teams competing were comprised of UofL basketball players and staff. The captains for each team are Malik Williams and Jarrod West.
Per gocards.com:
The lineup for “Team Williams” includes student-athletes Dre Davis, Mike James, Drew Schultz, Roosevelt Wheeler, Samuell Williamson and Jae’Lyn Withers; plus staff members director of operations Taylor Barnette, graduate manager Christen Cunningham, strength and conditioning coach Andy Kettler, assistant coach Ross McMains, assistant coach Mike Pegues, and director of academic services Kamari Wooten.
“Team West” will counter with student-athletes Sam Bearden, Brad Colbert, Matt Cross, El Ellis, Noah Locke, Ashton Myles-Devore, JJ Traynor and Gabe Wiznitzer; as well as staff members head trainer DeVante Frazier, assistant coach Kahil Fennell, head coach Chris Mack, and graduate manager Seth Tatum. Ellis was the top pick in the draft.
The Red team, Team West, jumped out to an early lead by scoring a run in the first three innings while giving up 0 runs. They dropped four more in the fourth, one in the sixth and three more in the seventh inning. The Black team, Team Williams, finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth inning when a kid who won a raffle was allowed to pinch run and wound up scoring. Team Williams scratched two across in the sixth and a coach Pegues led rally in the bottom of the seventh produced five more runs but the rally ran out of steam as Team West held on to win 11-8.
Here are some photos from the event,
