A North Texas youth baseball team competing in a World Series tournament along the Mississippi Gulf Coast was rescued by boat after rising floodwaters trapped players, parents, and coaches inside their vacation rental as the remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur swept through the region.
The Parker County Pickles, a 13U travel baseball team from the Fort Worth area, were staying in an Airbnb near the Biloxi River while competing in a youth tournament in Gulfport when heavy rain caused dangerous flooding across the area.
Volunteers with Cajun Navy 2016, working alongside local emergency responders, evacuated 12 players, nine adults, and three dogs from the flooded property after water levels rapidly increased.
Floodwaters Rise Overnight
According to team parent Keri Volmert, the weather began deteriorating Thursday evening as the team prepared for games that had been rescheduled because of the storm.
“It was Thursday night. It started getting bad. We were supposed to play our games that had been rescheduled the next day,” Volmert said, per Fox 4 KDFW.
By Friday morning, floodwaters had surged around the three-level home.
“The house is three levels. The property is three levels, and it was all the way up to the second level. The water was starting to rush in,” she said.
Volmert later described watching the floodwaters rise from a few inches on a nearby basketball court to nearly reaching the basket’s net.
The team remained stranded as water overtook roads and surrounding neighborhoods.
Rescue Mission Becomes Emergency
The group’s request for help was sent through Facebook to Cajun Navy 2016, a volunteer rescue organization known for responding to disasters across the Gulf Coast and beyond.
Trey Williams, communications director for the organization, said the situation escalated significantly between the initial call for help and the arrival of rescue crews.
“When they first reached out to us it wasn’t as dire of an emergency,” Williams said, per Fox 4. “As we went and approached, the water had continued to rise and had really gotten to a dangerous point where they absolutely did need to be evacuated from their premises.”
Williams said volunteers and the Gulfport Fire Department worked together to remove the group from the flooded property.
“The most important thing was that water was very swift and fast-moving,” Williams said, NBC 5 DFW reported. “In that situation, it’s always best to get people out of harm’s way.”
Volunteer rescuer Robert Pearson said the strong current was immediately noticeable.
“When they were coming down the stairs, the current was really strong coming through the stairs,” Pearson said, per WFAA.
He reassured the players that they would be safe during the boat evacuation.
Players Describe Frightening Conditions
For many of the young athletes, the fast-moving water was the most frightening part of the experience.
“It was kind of scary, because the water had a very strong current pulling towards the river,” said team second baseman Vance Dobias, according to WFAA. “It was flowing very fast.”
Volmert said watching rescuers navigate the rushing water was unsettling, but she remained confident in their abilities.
“It was scary when they got there, and the water was kind of rushing,” she said, WFAA reported.
Dobias later thanked the volunteers who helped evacuate the team.
“We just wanna say we’re so thankful for what they do. They’re very trained, so it wasn’t very scary. We knew they were good at their job,” he said, per Fox 4. “Thank you for saving us. Thank you for saving us. Thank you.”
Back On The Baseball Field
Despite the evacuation, the Parker County Pickles continued their tournament after relocating to new accommodations. The team won three games after the rescue before eventually being eliminated in the semifinals.
“They all played well, even after everything they went through,” Volmert said, per WFAA.
The players planned to spend a day at the beach before returning home to Texas.
Cajun Navy Continues Disaster Response
Williams said the baseball team’s rescue was one of several flood-related operations conducted during the storm response along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The volunteer organization was founded after the devastating Louisiana floods of 2016 and has responded to numerous disasters, including hurricanes and major flooding events across the South.
“It was neighbors coming together to help neighbors,” Williams said, per NBC 5 DFW. “Every time we help somebody, they’re very grateful and relieved. In this situation, everybody was safe, everybody got out okay, and that’s why we’re here.”
For the Parker County Pickles, the trip ended without a championship trophy, but with a story few youth baseball teams will ever match — one that involved floodwaters, rescue boats and a safe journey home.
