High School Baseball Coach Is Letting Players Name His Baby After Winning Season

After a winning season of baseball, one coach is leaving the fate of his baby’s name in the hands of his high school players.

Robert Querry, a high school baseball coach from Palm Bay, Florida, told his players they could name his unborn child if they had a winning season. Querry has been coaching baseball for over 11 years, but it was his first year at Heritage High School where the team had three previous losing seasons. Querry recognized the drive and determination behind these players and knew they had great potential.

“I had a lot of respect for them because they never quit,” Querry told BuzzFeed News.

In order to get the motivation going for the season, Querry made a bet with the players that if they had a 14-game winning season, they could name his future child. Querry and his wife, Julia, are expecting a second child in September. It took some convincing for Querry’s wife, but eventually she approved of the crazy idea.

“[I had] been trying to show them they meant something to me,” Querry explained. “This team is special. I wouldn’t just do this for any team. I knew they could do it.”

After a winning season the team decided to name Querry’s unborn child “Benjamin Smalls.” The name comes from the classic baseball movie, The Sandlot.

“That movie is to baseball what A Christmas Story is to Christmastime,” Querry said of the perfect name.

Once the story made the rounds around the local news circuit, the director and co-writer of The Sandlot, David Mickey Evan, visited the team and signed some baseballs and other memorabilia for the players.

“[He was] a really good guy,” Querry shared.

Last Tuesday, the team won its fourteenth game of the season and presented Querry with a banner welcoming his new son with the name the team selected.

“Winning has really brought these guys together,” he said.