Tragedy as Vanderbilt pitcher, 19, drowns the day before playoff game after his cries for help were mistaken for a joke

 

A Vanderbilt pitcher drowned the day before his team's playoff game after his cries for help were mistaken for a joke.

Freshman pitcher, Donny Everett, was fishing in Tennessee with two of his teammates and two other people when he tried to swim across Normandy Lake near a bridge on Thursday. 

The 19-year-old was halfway across the lake, which is about 60 miles southeast of Nashville, when he asked for help, according to the Coffee County Sheriff's Department.

His friends told Deputy Charles Taylor that they thought Everett was joking because he was smiling. 

One person went into the water and pulled Everett several feet before letting go, still thinking Everett was joking and struggling to stay afloat himself. 

When he looked back, Everett had gone under and did not re-surface. 

Divers with the county rescue squad found Everett just before 7pm Thursday in 25 feet of water some 15 feet from shore. 

His body was taken to Nashville for an autopsy by the state medical examiner. 

Everett's tragic death came just a day before the Commodores were to open the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Vanderbilt was the College World Series runner-up last year and won the 2014 national title. 

The school announced at midday that it will host the game as scheduled against Xavier on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament

'As you can imagine, the team, the athletic department and the university are trying to come to terms with this tragedy,' Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams said in a statement on Friday. 

'His parents and loved ones are on our minds and in our prayers as we share in their grief.'

Williams described Everett as an 'outstanding young man who exemplified the best of our university'. 

Everett was a right-hander from Clarksville, Tennessee, who had gone 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 12 innings this season. 

He attended Clarksville High School where helped lead his team to the District championships in 2014 and 2015.

The 2015 Gatorade player of the year for Tennessee enrolled at Vanderbilt after being drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 29th round last year. 

Baseball America had ranked Everett 21st among prospects for the 2015 draft.