ELON, N.C. — The dad of an Elon University Student fulfilled a promise to his son more than a year after the 21-year-old died in a crash.
Scott Yelle threw out the first pitch at the Detroit Tigers game in June. It was the final MLB park he hadn't visited. He and his son, Jackson, agreed to go to every one of them when Jackson was younger. Before his death, they checked off 12 ballparks.
Jackson Yelle died in 2023 in a hit-and-run crash while on a trip in Myrtle Beach. He played club baseball at Elon.
Scott Yelle said his son's teammates have become like family. Some of them even joined the Yelles at the Tigers' game for that final ballpark.
“Those guys at the club team and Elon have really adopted our whole family and just been so great and supportive since Jackson's accident," Yelle said. "It was emotional. It was great to see them there.”
Yelle said he welled up with tears and had to give each of the young men a hug.
The Yelle family has since started a foundation in Jackson’s name, The Jackson Yelle Family Foundation. The goal is to support causes around the country that embody their son's spirit. It even has the backing of the MLB.
The foundation works with the MLB's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities Initiative. Yelle said his son would be happy to see his name attached to both giving back and baseball. The league has also supported the family as they checked off the final 18 stadiums.
"They've just bent over backwards along the tour, all 18 stadiums, just to treat me and my family like kings and queens," Yelle said. "They really made us feel special and help with the grieving."
Yelle said Jackson may not have liked all the attention that the tour has received, but he thinks his son would be proud to have his name attached to something that does good for people.
Yelle said his son loved to laugh and had a caring heart. He shared that at his son's funeral, a former teammate's family thanked the Yelles because Jackson went out of his way to look out for their son. Yelle said stories like these helped him learn more about who his son was after he died.
“I'm not sure I realized the impact that he had on the community and how much they believed in Jackson and just loved him for who he was. Unfortunately, it took his death to find some of that out,” Yelle said
As for the hit-and-run, Yelle said the suspect will appear in court in about a month. He said it gives the family comfort knowing a suspect is in custody.
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