乌鸦传媒

Nate Rosser isn乌鸦传媒檛 just playing for the Vancouver Coastal (Zone 5) baseball team at the Cowichan 2018 BC Summer Games.

He乌鸦传媒檚 also playing for the memory of his best friend, Kyle Losse, who died in January at the age of 14.

Rosser and Losse were best friends off the field and frequent teammates on it. 乌鸦传媒� Rosser乌鸦传媒檚 15th birthday 乌鸦传媒� two days after suffering an unexpected stroke.

乌鸦传媒淚 try to dedicate everything I do in baseball to him,乌鸦传媒� Rosser said, shortly after his Vancouver-Coastal team was edged by Vancouver Island-Central Coast in a round-robin game at Duncan乌鸦传媒檚 Evans Park.

The boys first met when Rosser was in his second year of mosquito ball and Losse was in his first year. They played on opposing teams that season.

乌鸦传媒淭he first time I met him, I hit him in the back with a pitch,乌鸦传媒� Rosser recalled. 乌鸦传媒淩ight between the numbers.乌鸦传媒�

It turned out the boys attended the same school, although they were a grade apart. Later that same season, they found each other on the same Tsawwassen peewee AA rep team, which their fathers coached.

乌鸦传媒淲e started to become very good friends. We would joke around together because we were two of the best players on the team. Our best memories were probably on that field,乌鸦传媒� Rosser said, gesturing to the nearby mosquito diamond at Evans Park. 乌鸦传媒淧laying in Duncan at provincials.乌鸦传媒�

Rosser moved up to peewee the following year, while Losse continued to play mosquito, although it wasn乌鸦传媒檛 unusual for Losse to get called up to the peewee squad. When Rosser was in his second year of peewee and Losse was in his first year, Losse tried out for the AAA rep team, and made it, no small feat for a first-year player.

That year, Losse also moved to a new house about a two-minute walk from Rosser乌鸦传媒檚. The boys carpooled, hung out after games and had sleepovers on nights before they played.

乌鸦传媒淲e乌鸦传媒檇 tell our parents we went to bed at midnight when it was really 2 or 3 a.m,乌鸦传媒� Rosser said. 乌鸦传媒淭hat was when we became very close friends. He started to become a very good ball player.乌鸦传媒�

Rosser moved up to bantam the following year, while Losse remained in peewee, where he dominated the league.

乌鸦传媒淗e demolished the stats,乌鸦传媒� Rosser said. 乌鸦传媒淚 think he hit 18 home runs. He was definitely one of the best players on any ballfield he played on.乌鸦传媒�

They were waiting this year to see what level Losse played when Losse died. Rosser is certain they would have been playing together at the BC Summer Games.

乌鸦传媒淗e would be on this team,乌鸦传媒� Rosser said.

Rosser was visiting Jamaica with his family in January when he got word, on his birthday, that Losse was on life support. Losse died later that day, at 2:22 p.m. A coroner乌鸦传媒檚 report recently revealed that he suffered a stroke, most likely caused by fibromuscular dysplasia, a disease of the blood vessels that causes abnormal growth within the wall of an artery.

乌鸦传媒淓verything stopped working,乌鸦传媒� Rosser said. 乌鸦传媒淚t just happened.乌鸦传媒�

That night, Rosser designed a glove in Losse乌鸦传媒檚 memory, one that he still wears to pitch, complete with Losse乌鸦传媒檚 No. 14, and the dates of his birth and death. When Losse died, baseball cards were printed with his photo on the front and the stats from his last year of peewee on the back. Rosser still keeps one of those cards on him.

乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 beat up because it乌鸦传媒檚 always in my pocket,乌鸦传媒� he said.

Losse乌鸦传媒檚 parents also gave Rosser their son乌鸦传媒檚 bat, which Rosser brought to the Cowichan Valley.

乌鸦传媒淭he bat is two inches smaller that what I use,乌鸦传媒� Rosser noted. 乌鸦传媒淚 always gave him a hard time for using a shorter bat, but he was always crushing righties with it.乌鸦传媒�

Rosser called his Summer Games experience 乌鸦传媒済reat, amazing,乌鸦传媒� but still wishes Losse could be there as well.

乌鸦传媒淚 always think he乌鸦传媒檇 be having such a good time here,乌鸦传媒� Rosser said. 乌鸦传媒淚t乌鸦传媒檚 a good atmosphere; everyone is having a good time. It乌鸦传媒檚 nice to meet new players. I乌鸦传媒檝e never played with any of the other guys before. It乌鸦传媒檚 a good team; they乌鸦传媒檙e good guys.乌鸦传媒�

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