photo by Marcus Frazier

Vidalia baseball players Dalton Slade, 11, and Seth Barlow, 4, celebrate along with the rest of the team during the Vikings 9-7 comeback victory over Marksville Thursday evening. In addition to playing well on the field, the Vikings are also giving coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir comfort following the death of his mother.

Young Vikings team pulls together for each other, coach

By Jeff Edwards (Contact) | The Natchez Democrat

Published Monday, March 24, 2008

VIDALIA — The Vidalia Vikings might be in the middle of a rebuilding year, having lost seven senior starters from last year’s team, but they have already given coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir two memories he will cherish the rest of his life.

The Vikings sit at 7-5 overall and 1-1 in District 3-3A after overcoming a 7-0 deficit to defeat the No. 8 ranked Marksville Tigers Thursday night.

The Vikings scored eight runs on 11 hits in the fourth inning to take the lead and held on for the 9-7 victory that gave them a share of first place in the district.

“That is one of the highlight games of my career,” Hoffpauir said. “I will remember that game forever. The game was almost out of hand after the second inning, but the guys never quit and kept playing hard.”

While the Vikings have struggled at times with their youth, the one thing Hoffpauir says you can’t take away from them is their effort each and every game.

“I’m a little disappointed in some of the mental mistakes we’ve made, but I’m tickled to death with the effort,” Hoffpauir said. “The one constant in our season is that we’ve played hard. We’ve gotten a couple of big wins because of that.”

But the biggest impression the team has left on Hoffpauir isn’t the tough play, but the loving way they rallied around him after the death of his mother earlier this month.

Hoffpauir said it was a very difficult time for both him and the family, but the team comforted him in his time of grief.

“At the funeral, I looked up and saw all 19 players and all three coaches there in their uniforms,” Hoffpauir said. “That meant so much to me. It was such a comfort to have those kids there. I told them that it meant so much and helped me and my family get through the week.”

And it was that statement to his team that led one of his players, Beau Doughty, to reply with a statement that warmed Hoffpauir’s heart.

“He said ‘Coach, we are family,’” Hoffpauir said. “That sums up Vidalia baseball right there.”