TULSA, Okla — The Tulsa Little League Team is being celebrated across the country for its good sportsmanship.
Isiah Jarvis hugged the opposing team's distressed pitcher after the pitcher accidentally hit him with a pitch.
The head coach, Sean Kouplen, told 2 News, “the team is phenomenal. I mean they have the biggest hearts. All week long they were befriending the other kids and cheering them on and giving them hugs. I mean that’s their personality anyway, and then obviously the hug heard round the world, has made quite an impact and it makes us very, very proud”
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Now that the team is back home, they are being celebrated again.
While the team didn't bring home the gold, the Tulsa Little League Team received a big thank you from the Tulsa Drillers and Academy Sports and Outdoors.
Brooke Ouzts, Sr. Regional Marketing Specialist for Academy, said, “we really enjoyed seeing the good sportsmanship and we wanted to recognize that good sportsmanship and encourage them to continue to do what they’re doing out there on the field”
Each player of the Tulsa Little League Team received $100 to buy whatever they wanted from Academy.
Academy and the Tulsa Drillers hosted this shopping spree as a way to show the team that being a good player means more than winning games.
Coach Kouplen said, “it’s very important to us to always remain positive, always build them up, never yell at them, never scream at them. Explain to them that they can be friends off the field and still great competitors on the field, you know you don’t have to be one or the other”.
Coach Kouplen said he had to give the credit to the parents.
He said these boys show respect on and off the field, and that teaching didn't come from him.
One player, Hunter Hidges, said, “I didn’t know he was gonna do it and we met Bubs in the hotel and we’re good friends with him so I knew he wasn’t gonna get up and be mad at him. I knew he was gonna be nice to him”.
Several parents said they're so proud of their boys for not only being a good teammates but also being a good human being no matter what the scoreboard.
The boys said it was fun making friends with all of the other teams and even though they didn't come home champions, it's safe to say they've won all the hearts both home and away.
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