Field of Dreams
Baseball has been a part of Reece Holbrook’s life for as long as he can remember, and so have his dreams of playing for the University of North Carolina. This spring his dreams became a reality when he officially signed to play for the Tar Heels. While his journey has not been without adversity and sacrifice, it has been one that has put him on a path to success.
Reece was living in Chapel Hill when he was diagnosed with leukemia as a two-year-old. At the time, his mother, Jennifer, was an assistant to Coach Roy Williams and his father, Chad, was an assistant coach for the baseball team. Over the course of the next three years, Reece received chemotherapy, and a prognosis that included the possibility of never playing sports due to the effects of his treatment.
Looking to raise awareness and help those with childhood leukemia, Jennifer and Chad held the Reece Holbrook Golf Classic, enlisting the help of former players, UNC basketball legend Coach Dean Smith, Roy Williams, and others within the athletic arena. After moving to Columbia, where Chad joined the baseball coaching staff at the University of South Carolina, the golf tournament became the Reece Holbrook Win Anyway Foundation.
As a middle school student living in Lexington, with aspirations of playing at the high school level, Reece was disappointed when he was cut from the B-team. As disappointment often does, it led Reece down a life-changing path … one that found him at Hammond. As Reece explains it, “For me, the decision came down to athletics. For my parents, it was all about academics. Hammond is a small community, and I was initially unsure about that. Once you get entrenched, it’s a pretty special place.”
Reece worked hard throughout his 8th grade year, and after just one year of playing high school baseball, colleges began recruiting him. Even the Lexington coach was surprised at how quickly Reece had progressed. It was no surprise then that by his freshman year firm offers started coming in and he committed to UNC that March.
His sophomore year brought another twist to the story as Chad was named head baseball coach at the College of Charleston. For Reece, the decision to move or to stay was an easy one. “Coach Brew and Coach Hood were very encouraging and more importantly, I knew that I wanted to finish my high school years here. It’s a close-knit community … there’s a real heart about Hammond.”
This spring, behind the background of the Skyhawk Nation, in front of his classmates and teammates, Reece officially signed to play for the Tar Heels. Coach Williams and Eric Hoots, director of player development and assistant to the athletic director, sent a video message of congratulations. Through hard work and perseverance, the two-year-old who defied the odds officially realized his dreams of stepping on to the field at Chapel Hill.
