HARDWICK – Fifteen years after his tragic and heroic death, former Hazen Union multi-sport star Tristan Southworth and the strength of his character and name continues to bring area athletes to the baseball field with the playing of the 10th Annual Tristan Southworth Memorial Day Baseball Classic.
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Crowds filled the Hardwick Elementary Ballfield on Memorial Day Weekend to watch Hardwick and Danville Little Leaguers compete and honor the late Walden native Sergeant Tristan Southworth and his memory.
The Hardwick American Legion honored the special day with the color guard and three area dads threw out the first pitch to their player sons before the start of the game. In a back-and-forth affair, Danville ultimately prevailed 8-6 on a seventh inning homer and RBI single after Hardwick rallied to take the lead with six run sixth inning. Both teams wore special tenth anniversary shirts commemorating Southworth’s iconic #42.
Southworth was a Vermont Dream Dozen selection for the Wildcats on the hardwood and was a member of the 2006 state title team. He was also the ace on the hill in Hazen’s march to the championship game at Centennial Field in 2007, pitching the final 18 plus innings of their playoff run.
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After enlisting in the Vermont National Guard, Southworth was deployed to Afghanistan in 2010, where he was killed in the line of duty. He was awarded the Broze Star and Purple Heart for his bravery in service to his country. Close friend and former teammate Spencer Howard went on those championship runs with Southworth. Howard guided the Wildcat baseball program to Centennial as both a player and a coach (2022). He helped return Hazen baseball back to prominence with 46 wins in five seasons at the helm, including back-to-back Division III Final Fours. With four of his own children getting ready to play youth sports, Howard stepped away from the program two years ago and is now the president of the Hardwick Area Little League Board. He is pleased with the growth he has seen in youth baseball in the area the last couple of years and is more than grateful for the people in the community who continue to put forth their time and energy to keep Tristan’s name and memory alive.
“Honoring Tristan’s memory through area kids playing a game that we both loved is very special to me. I’m going to forget some names I’m sure but people like Jamon and Gretchen Renaud, Joey and Sue Rivard, Mike Baker, Robby Montgomery, Ivan Menard and more are the reason why this baseball classic in his memory started and why we were able to continue it ten years later. It was great to see the crowds come out and support the kids and they gave us a great game to watch. I can’t thank everyone enough,” said Howard.
The Hardwick Little League has existed for decades, but with the current board’s kids aging out of youth sports, Howard felt the need to get involved and try to give back as a parent the way his parents and friend’s parents did.
“With my kids getting older and starting to get interested in youth sports, I wanted to get more involved and take on a bigger role of keeping youth baseball going in the area. Tristan, myself, and our friends were lucky enough to have parents who made a huge commitment to youth sports, and I want to try and do the same. Successful baseball programs at Hazen have all seemed to have that common thread and I want to do everything I can to make sure my kids and their friends have that same opportunity. We have great numbers for our area teams this season and we’ll continue to keep raising interest to add teams in the coming years,” said Howard.
Hardwick is fielding one major, one minor, and one youth softball team this summer. Tristan Southworth’s memory and the future of Hardwick baseball appear to be in very good hands.
