Bat boy, 9, dies after being hit by swing in on-deck circle

A 9-year-old bat boy for a Kansas baseball team died Sunday evening after he was accidentally hit by a player taking swings in the on-deck circle the day before.

Kaiser Carlile, who was wearing a helmet, was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital in critical condition after he was hit in the back of the head by a warmup swing.

"With the permission of the family, and with much sorrow and a very broken heart, I regretfully inform everyone that Kaiser Carlile passed away earlier this evening," Liberal Bee Jays president Nathan McCaffrey said in a statement. "Please keep his family and our team in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you all for the support during this ordeal."

Home plate umpire Mike Goldfeder, who is also a paramedic, tended to Carlile on the field until an ambulance arrived, according to Bob Lutz of the Wichita Eagle.

"The crowd would erupt," Bee Jays play-by-play broadcaster Brock Kappelmann said of Carlile. "They just love him. He's been a sparkplug for our team. And one of the players described to me on the postgame Saturday, Kaiser is the life of the team. He's a fun-loving kid and every time we saw him he brought a smile to our faces."