15-year-old dies after being hit by baseball

A Kane County family lost their oldest child Wednesday night after he was hit by a ball at baseball practice and died.

Fifteen-year-old Jeff Wood, of Alton, a sophomore at Valley High School, complained of a side ache when he arrived at baseball practice in Orderville, about 20 miles north of Kanab, said his mother, Heather Wood.

The teen sat out at first and then went out on the field to catch some fly balls, she said. After taking his position at center field, he was hit in the side by a line drive and collapsed.

Police said an off-duty Kane County sheriff's deputy was at the practice and was able to perform CPR "within 30 seconds." Heather Wood said paramedics had been training nearby and arrived on the scene "within a minute or two." She said Jeff was then transported to Kane County Hospital in Kanab, where hospital staff attempted to resuscitate him for two hours.

"It must have been his time to go home," Heather Wood said. "They didn't think a baseball could kill somebody like that."

Because an autopsy didn't show a death-causing impact, Heather Wood said they are planning to have some blood tests done to determine if Jeff had an existing condition that was aggravated by the baseball's impact. It is unknown whether the side ache was indicative of other potential health issues.

Heather Wood said her son enjoyed being outdoors, saying he "loved fishing and shooting guns."

"He liked horses," she said, "and he was helping his grandpa on the ranch this year. He was doing the hay. He liked to work on the big equipment."

Jeff was the oldest of six children. He enjoyed sports but participated in them more for the social aspect than love of competition, Heather Wood said.

"He liked hanging out with the guys more than anything," she said.

The boy's father, Jim Wood, was one of the EMT respondents to arrive at the scene, police said. Jim Wood is also the principal at Valley High School in Orderville, Heather Wood said.

e-mail: emorgan@desnews.com