It’s no secret that GHS baseball coach Adam Foster is a great teacher. The 2019 Eagles were state runner-ups and MaxPreps ranked them #22 in the nation. Our hometown boys have been winning trophies and flirting with the state championship title every year since Foster started in 2012; he was even Central Texas Coach of the Year in 2015.
But what the rest of Georgetown may not know, what thousands of fans in royal blue and #EFND loyalists know, is just how big this particular coach’s heart really is. Not just for the sport, but for the young people entrusted to his instruction and care.
Sadly… well, only sad for Georgetown, Coach Foster’s talent will now be shared at the collegiate level. Having accepted a position at Angelo State, players, former players and families in town are pouring out their thanks online and reminiscing about his time with the Eagles.
Among them are the families and friends of the Exceptional Georgetown Alliance (EGA), who have been overwhelmed, some even to tears, watching their own children learn and play baseball with Foster and his players, because some of them may never be able to play any sports at all.
Challenger Baseball
Despite the gruelling schedule, late night games, road trips or double headers…for a few weeks every Spring, Foster had all three Eagle teams come out to the field at 9am Saturday mornings to mentor and coach the next generation.
EGA provides opportunities for special needs children to learn about and participate in sports year-round; basketball, baseball and swimming. Coach Foster believes in the program, and his players faithfully support and encourage their younger friends because they, and Foster, agree and understand how lucky any person is to be able to play America’s game.
The EGA has been managing adaptive sports for special needs children, kids with neurological or physical challenges, since 2008. The “Challengers” baseball team is outfitted with t-shirts and hats donated by local companies. Once suited up, the coaches and Varsity players adopt younger team members and guide—or literally carry—them through a joy-filled hour of playing catch, running and hitting, and the occasional piggy-back ride.
Foster believes this is a wonderful opportunity for the Varsity to become mentors, but that’s not all. His JV and Freshmen players are also in the stands in the early morning as raving and enthusiastic cheerleaders for every (guaranteed) home run.
EGA Founder Dede Harper said, “It’s great to see the younger kids light up around the big kids. Some of these older players have grown up playing for Coach Foster, so it’s wonderful to see them out here passing it on.”
Former Eagle Alex Cornman has been playing baseball since age four and says, “Coach Foster really cares about these kids; we all do. We are privileged to have a facility as great as ours and we are happy to share it with the next generation of players.”
Coach Foster was an adaptive physical education teacher earlier in his career and worked with special kids for years, so it was a natural thing for him to pass along to his players.
His Legacy
All along, Coach Foster has been teaching good boys to be good men. “Baseball is really a game about failure. If you get up ten times and fail seven times, you’re a .300 hitter and a star. Having the perspective that when you strike out, there are those who would give anything just to play the game, you get up and try again.”
Even in the last games of his seasons, when things didn’t go Georgetown’s way, up close, his players still seemed to be eight feet tall. They drilled almost effortlessly, sprinted on and off the field in the seventh inning with the same energy they had in the first. They carried gloves and equipment for each other. None hung his head or threw a helmet, or showed even the slightest bit of upset. At game’s end, they never failed to come out of the dugout to show their appreciation to the fans who came to support them.
Coaching baseball… lessons for life.
Godspeed, Coach Foster… you will be missed and you’ll always be an Eagle to us! ↔