Teen baseball player killed in rollover crash after tournament, Oklahoma officials say
A high school senior was traveling back to his home state of Oklahoma after winning a baseball tournament in Florida when officials say he died in a rollover crash.
“It is with great sadness that we share this news of an awful tragedy...,” Game Day USA shared to Facebook. “We celebrated with Team Akadema on January 1 after they won the 18U Championship at New Year’s Baseball Fest in Panama City Beach. It was a jubilant celebration with a great group of guys.”
Oklahoma Highway Patrol officials said 18-year-old Gabriel Williams was driving a van with four teens, all 17 and 18, when the van veered off Interstate 35 in McClain County, KOCO reported. Authorities believe Williams over corrected, leading the van to roll over several times while ejecting three passengers at about 3:05 a.m. Monday, Jan. 3.
Williams was pronounced dead at the scene, the Oklahoman reported, and three others were taken to a hospital. Two of those teenagers are in critical condition, authorities said, and the fourth passenger was “treated and released” on scene.
Team coach Randy Newton confirmed to KFOR the players in that van were part of a caravan heading home from the tournament.
Authorities believe Williams may have been tired before the fatal crash, according to KOCO.
“It is with broken hearts we will have to lay our Gabe to rest,” a GoFundMe in his name says.
Williams was a senior of Moore High School, the Oklahoman reported, along with two others involved in the crash.
“Our hearts grieve with the family, and we surround them with our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time,” the district said in a statement to the newspaper, adding that the tournament was not connected to the school. “ ... However, we know that tragedies like this weigh heavy on the hearts and minds of our students, faculty and staff. We will have an increased level of counseling services available this week at MHS for students and staff as they process this loss.”
Akadema Scout Team, of Salina, Kansas, played in the 18 and up division of the New Year’s Baseball Fest, according to the tournament website.
Salina is about 255 miles north of Moore.
Team Akadema is a “hand picked team from across the Midwest,” according to its Facebook page, “put together for the world series with success in the previous years with a 3rd place finish and 1st place finsh.”
The crash remains under investigation.
This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Teen baseball player killed in rollover crash after tournament, Oklahoma officials say."