DWU baseball honors former players Harter, Bakley by dedicating jersey numbers

Apr. 12—MITCHELL — Jersey Nos. 2 and 27 will forever be part of the fabric of Dakota Wesleyan University baseball.

In tribute to former Tiger ballplayers Reed Harter and Chandler Bakley, who were victims of a fatal multi-vehicle crash on Jan. 16, DWU officially dedicated both men's jerseys as numbers of honor with a ceremony at Drake Field on Saturday.

Moving forward, Harter's No. 2 and Bakley's No. 27 will be available exclusively to DWU captains selected for the honor.

According to DWU head baseball coach Charlie Dubanoski, Harter, who served as an assistant coach for the Tigers, had regularly formed a bond with players who wore the No. 2 jersey after him. Inspired by those interactions, Dubanoski proposed reserving Harter's No. 2 and Bakley's No. 27 for the program's most deserving athletes to carry on in their memory, rather than retiring the numbers, and both families supported the idea.

"Obviously, you never plan for anything like this, and you don't ever want something like this to happen," Dubanoski said. "But this felt like the best way to honor those two guys who were good ballplayers and really good people."

Seniors Shane Cowan and Dexter Payne are the first Tigers to earn the distinction of donning the No. 2 and No. 27 jerseys in honor of Harter and Bakley. Cowan, formerly No. 22, now dons Harter's No. 2, while Payne, formerly No. 29, sports Bakley's No. 27. All DWU players currently have decals in the shape of home plate and complete with the inscriptions "RH15" and "CB27" on their batting helmets. Harter wore No. 15 with the Winner/Colome Pheasants amateur baseball club.

As part of Saturday's jersey dedication ceremony, Cowan and Payne received memorial first pitches from members of the Harter and Bakley families on hand for DWU's Alumni Weekend doubleheader against Dordt. Prior to the first contest, every DWU player and coach, except for Payne wearing No. 27, came onto the field for introductions wearing No. 2 jerseys for their former coach and colleague, Harter.

"Reed was super close to this program, and I got to spend some time with him personally. He was always a great guy to me and brought a great vibe to the field. Representing such a great person and someone so special to our program, it's really an honor," Cowan said. "The pregame and seeing the families out there, it was definitely super emotional."

"It's so much more than just baseball. To see those guys' families here, and you know that they're still hurting, but it was really cool to just be there with them and honor them," Payne added. "I know that I'm playing for someone and something bigger to close it out as a senior, and it's great that they're going to keep this going."

A high standard will be expected of any DWU player with aspirations of wearing No. 2 or No. 27 in the future, as Dubanoski said those jerseys will be earned and not given. DWU baseball also announced it is working to establish a trust and present a Reed Harter and Chuck Bakley memorial scholarship to a deserving player each year.

"It's only for the guys who will represent what Reed and Chuck represented really well, and it's something that we'll think about every time we see those numbers," Dubanoski said. "Great human beings who care about the game and care about their teammates. Those are the only types of guys who are going to get the honor to wear those numbers."

Cowan, a catcher/infielder, is a native of Windsor Junction, Nova Scotia, Canada, who transferred into the DWU program last year by way of Williston State (N.D.) College.

Payne, who has played all four years with the Tigers, hails from Sioux Falls and is a Roosevelt High School product. A two-way player as a pitcher and infielder, Payne was the GPAC pitcher of the week earlier this season.

"To see those two seniors (Cowan and Payne) represent Reed and Chuck is really special," Dubanoski said. "Both of them are special young men, too, and guys I really care about."