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Softball Dad
Paperback
Baseball & SoftballDeath & Dying
ISBN13: 9781961268746
Publisher: Booklocker.com
Published: Aug 20 2026
Pages: 444
Weight: 1.30
Height: 0.99 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Dave is the head coach of his daughter's high school softball team. After celebrating a championship victory, Dave and his daughter have an argument that remains unresolved as the family heads home. On the way, a drunk driver crosses the centerline and crashes head-on into their vehicle.
When Dave awakens in the hospital, he learns that his wife and daughter were killed in the accident, and that he is now a paraplegic. All Dave ever wanted was to be a good husband and father, and the loss of his family leaves him consumed by grief, guilt, and anger. He becomes combative during therapy, resisting every attempt to help him. But after an explosive confrontation with a therapist at the rehabilitation facility, Dave begins to embrace treatment. As he progresses, he realizes his disability does not have to limit his life as much as he once feared.
After being released from rehabilitation, Dave moves to a new city, hoping for a fresh start. Instead, loneliness and isolation send him into a downward spiral. On Christmas Day, he visits his family's gravesite and becomes convinced that the only way to escape his pain is to join them.
Just as Dave is about to take his own life, his best friend, Ryan, calls. Realizing something is terribly wrong, Ryan and his daughter, Maygen, race to save him. Maygen stays with Dave and helps him begin putting his life back together.
With her support, he reconnects with his doctors and resumes treatment. Determined to give Dave something to live for, Maygen collects donations to purchase a service dog for him.
With his dog by his side, Dave's life finally begins to turn a corner. When spring arrives, he takes the dog for a walk near the local high school and discovers a softball practice. After returning several times, Dave befriends some of the players and meets their head coach, Eddie, who invites him to become an assistant coach.
Returning to softball helps Dave feel like himself again. While giving one of the players, Lizzy, a ride home, he learns that her father died of cancer. Their shared experience of loss brings them closer, and Dave gives Lizzy his daughter's old softball equipment. In time, he trusts her enough to share the painful truth about the accident. Lizzy eventually introduces Dave to her mother, Melody.
Dave feels an immediate connection with Melody. She helps him recognize the difference he is making in the lives of the girls he coaches and encourages him to tell the team his story. Opening up allows Dave to stop living entirely in the past and begin imagining a future. One in which he can transform his tragedy into something meaningful by teaching young people about the dangers of drinking and driving.
After sharing his story with his new team, Dave finally feels ready to return home. With Ryan's support, he attends a tournament where a tribute to his daughter has been planned. The ceremony gives Dave an opportunity to thank those who supported him throughout his recovery, honor his daughter's memory, and finally say goodbye.
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