Vandy RHP Donny Everett, 19, dies of drowning; game rained out

ByABC News
June 3, 2016, 10:56 PM

— -- NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The No. 41 and the initials "DE'' were everywhere around Hawkins Field as the Vanderbilt Commodores mourned the death of freshman pitcher Donny Everett while playing in the NCAA tournament regional they are hosting.

College baseball shared Vanderbilt's grief Friday.

Everett drowned Thursday while on a fishing trip at a Tennessee lake, and his teammates waited out a storm delay Friday night in hopes of taking the field for their NCAA opener against Xavier, with baseball giving them a break from an emotionally draining 26 hours.

The game was eventually postponed until Saturday at noon, followed by games at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

An impromptu memorial in Everett's honor was created at Vanderbilt's stadium in Nashville.

"Gonna be with us on the field tonight and the rest of the season,'' pitcher Collin Snider posted on Twitter, along with a photo showing a black Vandy cap with "DE41'' written in gold near the bill.

Fans tacked No. 41 pins and ribbons on their hats and shirts while waiting out UC-Santa Barbara's 14-inning, 4-3 win over Washington that took nearly five hours.

Moments of silence were held before every NCAA game Friday, and the South Carolina Gamecocks wrote Everett's initials and number on their caps, along with a small cross.

Former Vanderbilt pitcher and current Red Sox starter David Price offered his condolences via Twitter before taking the mound for Boston. 

Everett, 19, was with two teammates and two other people when he tried to swim across Normandy Lake near a bridge. He was halfway across when he asked for help, but friends told Coffee County Sheriff's Deputy Charles Taylor that they thought Everett was joking because he was smiling.

One person went into the water and pulled Everett several feet before letting go, still thinking Everett was joking and struggling to stay afloat himself. When he looked back, Everett had gone under. He did not resurface from the lake about 60 miles southeast of Nashville.

Divers with the Coffee County Rescue Squad found Everett just before 7 p.m. Thursday in 25 feet of water, some 15 feet from shore. His body was taken to Nashville for autopsy by the state medical examiner.

Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin informed his Commodores of Everett's death Thursday night. They met again Friday morning, and they decided to play before boarding buses to visit Everett's family in Clarksville, Tennessee.

The 2014 national champion and 2015 national runner-up, Vanderbilt was given the option of postponing its regional opener until Saturday. The Commodores opted to play.

"As you can imagine, the team, the athletic department and the university are trying to come to terms with this tragedy,'' Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams said in a statement. "His parents and loved ones are on our minds and in our prayers as we share in their grief.''

Everett, who was a standout at Clarksville (Tennessee) High School, was considered a potential mid-first-round pick in the 2015 MLB amateur draft -- Baseball America had ranked him 21st among prospects -- but remained steadfast in honoring his commitment to Vanderbilt.

The  Milwaukee Brewers still took a chance and selected the right-hander in the 29th round.

Everett finished his freshman season at Vandy with an 0-1 record and a 1.50 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 12 innings, and he pitched one shutout inning on May 24 in the SEC tournament.

At Clarksville High, where he was named the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year in Tennessee, Everett threw a fastball that could hit 99 mph. ESPN Scouts Inc. said Everett had "the most pure arm strength of any high school arm in the class," called him "the rare innings-eater who misses bats" and said "there's a strong possibility he becomes a reliever."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.