In the quiet early hours before school, Birmingham baseball coach Matt Mowry finds himself in the flower section of a local supermarket. This isn't part of his usual game-day routine, but then again, nothing about the past month has been routine. He's searching for the perfect bouquet to give to Nancy Rodriguez, the mother of his 16-year-old sophomore outfielder, JJ Rodriguez.

JJ lost his father, Anthony, 53, last month when he died suddenly in his sleep at home. The loss hit the young player hard, leaving him uncertain about returning to the field. But Mowry, who knows all too well the weight of grief after losing his wife Amy to cancer in 2022, understood exactly what JJ needed: the support of his baseball family.

"Times are going to be tough," Mowry told JJ. "There's going to be moments you break down. It's OK. You don't have to hide it."

JJ missed a few days of school and one game after his father's death. He wanted to be alone, skeptical about returning to normal life. But Mowry kept reaching out, gently encouraging him to come back to the team. "He would message me and tell me coming here and being around my teammates would make me more comfortable and get my mind off things," JJ recalls. "I wanted to be alone a little bit because my mind was not in the right place. But the day I came back, I learned these guys are my family."

Since returning, JJ has become an integral part of the Patriots' lineup, starting in left field and batting ninth. The team is riding high after winning their first West Valley League title in 20 years, and they're chasing a sixth City title under Mowry's leadership. The No. 1 seed in the City Section Open Division playoffs, Birmingham delayed their opening game until Thursday so players and coaches could attend Anthony's funeral on Wednesday.

JJ's mother Nancy has been a pillar of strength, telling her son, "Be strong for everyone else. Your dad will always be proud of you." In their home, a candle burns in the room where his father was found—a quiet place JJ sometimes goes to be alone with his thoughts.

But he's no longer alone in his grief. He has his team, his coach, and a community that understands that sometimes the most important plays happen off the field. As JJ puts it, "These guys are my family." And in the world of sports, that's the kind of support that makes all the difference.