ROYAL, Ill. (WCIA) — Family and friends of Easton Wilsey are honoring his memory by celebrating something he cherished: baseball. Six teams of players gathered on Sunday for the inaugural baseball tournament dedicated to Easton. 

The event was a year and nine months to the day of when the 9-year-old was hit and killed by a train in Royal.

“We really miss him,” friend Wesley McElhoe said.

The event felt like a time not too long ago for the McElhoe family, who knew Easton for his kindness and toughness.

“I can still picture him running the bases,” said family friend Matt McElhoe. “Every parent in our community wished for their kids to be friends with Easton.”

Easton’s friends remembered him as someone who was always the first to share a joke or offer help. They mentioned that events like Sunday’s allow them to continue mourning a life taken too soon. 

“He’s just going to look down and see us and say, ‘Wow all these people are doing this just for me,” friend Austyn Ramm said.

Chants rang out as athletes slid into bases, while fans cheered against the fence wearing Easton’s favorite color: green

While it was a competition, the event was about a community coming together — something family and friends say Easton would have loved. 

“It’s hard, going to always be hard,” Matt said. “He’s always going to be part of this community. He might be gone but he’s still in all of our children’s hearts, ours.”

The proceeds from the tournament will go towards next year’s event and any field improvements that are needed. Easton’s family said they are working on a memorial scholarship in his name as well.