Neighbors, strangers, youth sports groups coalesce around 12-year-old boy injured in ‘freak accident’ with baseball
Xavier Taylor, who plays with Maple Shade Youth Baseball, is dedicated to the sport and beloved by his teammates, according to those who know him.
Youth baseball groups from as far as Connecticut have coalesced around a 12-year-old Maple Shade boy, who was left critically injured Tuesday when he was struck with a baseball, requiring an airlift to Cooper University Hospital.
Xavier Taylor, who plays with Maple Shade Youth Baseball, is dedicated to the sport and beloved by his teammates, according to those who know him.
“He’s a good boy, like a huge joy,” said Sarah DiPhillipo, a family friend. “He exudes light because of who he is, that is why it’s bringing the attention that it is.”
His head injury has been described by many as a “freak accident,” with neighbors coming out to support the family any way they can.
Hundreds attended a prayer vigil Thursday at Fellowship Columbia Bank Field, where the accident occurred, painting his jersey number six in the grass.
What started off as a meal train for the family while Xavier remains in the hospital has raised more than $78,000 in less than 48 hours.
Runnemede Little League in neighboring Camden County, meanwhile, is donating half of their Home Run Derby snack proceeds this weekend to Xavier.
But word of the incident has spread outside New Jersey. One woman from Connecticut even took to Facebook to ask for Xavier’s jersey number so youth players there could write it on their cheeks or arms in a show of support.
DiPhillipo said the boy’s family is very involved in Maple Shade youth sports and Xavier’s father was a firefighter in Cinnaminson. She suspects the family’s ties to the area played a role in how word of the incident “spread like wildfire.”
The Taylor family has leaned into their deep faith during this time, said DiPhillipo.
In a Facebook post Thursday, Gregory Taylor, Xavier’s father, addressed what he called an “outpouring of love, visitors, support, donations, thoughts, and prayers.”
“We will never be able to thank everyone, but know that God is blessing every single one of you all who pray for our son,” he wrote.
