PINETOWN — The 2015 campaign hasn’t gone as planned for the Northside baseball team, which closed out the year with a 7-15 record, but don’t tell that to Caleb Alligood. He’s just happy to sport the black and silver, playing the game he loves. On Thursday night, in the regular season finale against rival Southside, the senior first baseman stepped onto the field for what will likely be the final time.

“I’ve been playing baseball my whole life and tonight may be my last time on this field. I’ve loved every minute of it and will miss it a great deal,” he said.

Before the game, however, as fans crowded around the fence for the Senior Night ceremony, Alligood was presented with the 2015 Bryan Keith Woolard Memorial Scholarship, an honorable award for a player more than deserving.

Bryan Keith Woolard, a former Northside baseball Defensive Player of the Year and team Most Valuable Player, tragically passed away in an automobile accident in 2009. That year, a scholarship was created in his honor to help a deserving Northside senior baseball player pay for his first year of college. Seven young men have benefitted from the $500 scholarship through the years, an award that remembers an elite talent, loving father and historic team, the 1994 2-A state champion Panthers.

“Our main thing we look forward to during baseball season is to come out here and honor the memory of Bryan, bring him to life a little bit out here on the field. And the opportunity to help some of these young guys out is great,” said Keith Woolard, Bryan’s father.”

“We have a fireman, an EMT, a nurse and one going to school to be a lawyer,” said Wendy Woolard, Bryan’s mother, referring to those recipients who have benefitted from the scholarship.

An undisputed leader on and off the field, the senior first baseman is second on his team in hitting with a .269 average and seven RBIs. Alligood will attend East Carolina University next fall in hopes of working his way through the dental program.

When asked what he will remember most about his time at Northside, Alligood said, “My teammates. Definitely my teammates. They’ve made this the best experience I’ve ever had, this year more than any. My little brother (Tanner Alligood) is on the team and it’s just been a great time all around. We haven’t had the best season, but it’s been a fun one.”

All of the seniors out here were definitely deserving of the award. I guess luck was on my side. It’s definitely a great honor and I’m excited about it.”