The Steamboat summer baseball team took the field Wednesday evening at Emerald Park with heavy hearts for what might have been the most well attended exhibition baseball game ever played in Steamboat Springs.

Prior to the matchup between Steamboat Red vs. Steamboat Black, spectators filed into Emerald Park by the dozens and filled the bleachers to near capacity. Many were Jesse Hamric’s classmates and friends, there to show support for the recent high school graduate who passed away in an accident July 4 at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia.

“It was definitely ‘the Jesse Hamric effect’ of kids coming out and wanting to be there playing for him,” coach Kellen Baker said of the high attendance and robust lineup of players. “He was the reason a lot of those kids were out there.”

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Hamric graduated from Steamboat Springs High School in May, and the 18-year-old was a standout athlete for the Sailors’ football and baseball teams as well as an accomplished snowboarder. Hamric’s father, Jay, is also the principal of Steamboat Springs High School, and his mother, Heidi, is a teacher at Strawberry Park Elementary.

According to Baker, the American Legion summer baseball team had scheduled a home game against Middle Park for Wednesday. However, when Middle Park canceled on them, the Sailors figured that, with the field reserved and umps already lined up, it presented an excellent opportunity for them to honor Hamric.

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“It kind of just morphed into this awesome event almost 24 hours in advance,” Baker said. “The kids were all pumped to play, and they were the ones who kind of spurred it. So it ended up working out really great, but it definitely was a last-minute kind of thing.”

Emotions ran high before the opening pitch as people embraced each other, hugged one and another and shed tears with Hamric’s No. 9 jersey and bat fixed to the backstop overlooking the baseball diamond.

Little league teams playing games on adjacent ballfields also came over to the field occupied by the Sailors to honor Hamric during a moment of silence before the exhibition.

Some might call it the power of sports, but once the game got underway, the boys fell into their old rhythms. They could be seen smiling, laughing and cutting up at each other’s expense while playing one of the sports Hamric loved.

“It was really, really great — definitely an emotional start,” Baker said of the game. “Once we all got moving, they were just having a ton of fun. It was great for me to watch. … It was tough to start. The moment of silence was hard and getting rolling was emotional, but once everybody started playing ball, I think it was a special night.”

Hamric’s death has hit hard for many people across the Steamboat Springs community, and a fundraising effort to aid his family and create a foundation in Hamric’s name has lead to a tsunami of donations.

A memorial service for Hamric is set for 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Steamboat Christian Center. Attendees are encouraged to wear hoodies, beanies, shiesties, football or baseball jerseys, mismatched outfits or anything comfortable to the service.

Because a large turnout is expected, there will not be parking at the church. Instead, people are being asked to shuttle from either Steamboat Springs High School or the Meadows Parking Lot to the church. A shuttle service will run from 11:15 a.m.-12:10 p.m. with return service after the memorial.

For the memorial, the family, out-of-town guests and Hamric’s peers will be invited to sit with the Hamrics in the auditorium. There also will be a live feed in an overflow room, and people can watch the service from their home as well. The live feed from the memorial service will be available at YouTube.com/live/XpsbccXWS7g.

After the service, everyone is invited to enjoy a community event at the high school with games and drinks and snacks provided by the booster club and volunteers.

“We’re going to be playing hard and loving huge in honor of Jesse,” said Renie Grove, who’s one of many people helping to organize the effort.

For more information about the memorial service and community event, go to MemorialSource.com/memorial/shred-for-jesse.

In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted for the Hamric family and the future Jesse Cyrus Hamric Foundation for Courage and Love at GoFundMe.com/f/join-us-in-uplifting-the-hamric-family.

As of 12:30 p.m. Friday, the GoFundMe page had raised over $111,000. Other donations have been made directly through Yampa Valley Bank.

“It’s been overwhelming,” Grove said of the outpouring of support for Jesse Hamric and his family, adding that it’s heartwarming for her to see how many students and young people have donated to the fund.

People who wish to support the cause can also mail checks made out to the “Jesse Cyrus Hamric Foundation for Courage and Love” to Yampa Valley Bank at 600 South Lincoln Ave., Steamboat Springs, 80487.