CINCINNATI – Urbana High School’s Trenton Dunham was honored with the Harvey Haddix Memorial Sportsmanship Award before Wednesday’s Cincinnati Reds game versus the St. Louis Cardinals.
Dunham was introduced to the crowd by former major-leaguer and current Reds’ broadcaster Chris Welsh and threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the game.
“It’s really crazy. I never thought, growing up in a small town, that I’d do anything like this. It’s definitely a big deal. I couldn’t be more excited to do this,” Dunham said.
He also received a commemorative plaque courtesy of the Urbana Daily Citizen and the Cincinnati Reds.
Since Haddix’s death in 1994, the Citizen has co-sponsored the award, which is given annually to a worthy high school baseball senior in the county.
Dunham was honored to win the award, citing his experiences with family and the Urbana Hillclimbers’ program as big influences.
“They basically showed me how important sportsmanship was. It wasn’t just about beating your opponent, it was about beating them the right way and doing it with the most respect you could,” Dunham said. “It was about understanding that outside of the game, they’re people just like you and to treat them with the utmost respect. I feel like that really got me to the point where I am today.”
