Home run trots. Sliding across the plate. Welcome to graduations at Globe Life Field.
So far, those attending recent events at Globe Life Field, the new home of the Texas Rangers, have seen plays at the plate, home run swings and even a home run trot. And those are just the members of the Class of 2020 celebrating their graduations from high school.
The requirement to have socially-distanced graduations moved about 50 ceremonies from across the Metroplex into Globe Life Field, the Rangers’ new $1.2 billion home that the team has yet to play a game in because their season has been suspended by the coronavirus pandemic.
But that’s not stopping some seniors, who lost the last 10 weeks of high school, from looking to close a heavy year with a light laugh. Over the past several days, a handful of students seeking their own high school walk-off moments have been ad-libbing on the way to receiving their diplomas.
Video surfaced on Twitter when Cleburne powerlifter Wesley Free slid across home plate during the school’s ceremony on May 31, the first known student to do something other than stand at home while posing for a photo.
The next day, Forney softball and powerlifting state champ Sadie Hewitt dove head first and her video went viral, picking up nearly 400 retweets and over 62,000 views.
In the following days, more students dove head first. Some even pretended to swing a bat, including one student who swung away while falling on one knee, a familiar pose by one of the greatest Texas Rangers of all-time, Adrian Beltre.
Burleson’s Trey James also used his diploma as a bat, but he took it to another level.
James pretended to hit a home run and ran around the diamond, the first known student to include a home run trot.
“It wasn’t a dare, I just simply wanted to do something that everyone laughed and talked about,” James said. “I genuinely love making people laugh. It was an idea that came up to my uncle and my father. Both thought it was a great idea.
“Although I did want to slide at first, but I saw others before our graduation do it so I wanted to be original.”
Students lined up near the first-base dugout, six feet apart, before their name was called and diplomas picked up. Then they crossed home plate and exited near the third-base dugout.
As James’ name was about to be called, nerves kicked in. “A whole lot of nerves went into it,” he said. “But I try to live life to the fullest.”
James’ cousin, Abby James, graduated this year from Euless Trinity at Texas Motor Speedway.
“He was telling me he wanted to do something memorable and something that nobody else has done before,” Abby said. “I personally thought it was funny and a great way to finish off high school. He has always been super goofy and always catches you by surprise with what random thing he’ll do next.”
This story was originally published June 9, 2020 at 12:22 PM.
