quote:Friends, family and complete strangers held out hope Wednesday night that Waynesville High School baseball player Patrick Clegg will wake up -- just as they did when they saw him struck by a pitch in a Tuesday night game.
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They traveled from miles away to see Clegg, a 16-year-old who was critically injured in a freak accident playing the sport he loved.
"He's a genuine person," said Austin Willis, Clegg's best friend, who, like Clegg, is a junior at Waynesville High. "He didn't get involved in high school drama. He's always there for you, a great friend.
"Nobody deserves this, especially not Patrick."
Clegg remained in critical condition in a coma at St. John's Hospital on Wednesday night after being hit in the back of the head with a pitch during a game Tuesday at Lebanon.
As he tried to duck and turn away from the pitch, the ball hit at the bottom of his helmet. He went to his knees.
"We thought he'd hop right up and go to first," Lebanon coach Paul Dudley said.
Instead, he collapsed. A school trainer and nurse who is a Lebanon player's mother attended to Clegg immediately and told Dudley to call 911.
The ball had struck the brain stem, causing instant swelling of the player's brain. He was flown to St. John's, where he arrived at 5:30 p.m., then endured multiple procedures in attempts to reduce pressure .
http://www.news-leader.com/article/2009904230369
