HAMILTON — Every baseball season at Badin High School still has a familiar presence in the dugout.
Nearly a decade after the passing of Sally Wesselman, her legacy continues to shape the Rams’ baseball program through the Sally Wesselman Angel in the Dugout Memorial Fund — an endowment created to assist players with pay-to-play fees and keep alive the spirit of one of the program’s most devoted supporters.
“She started in 1975,” Christy Wesselman said before Saturday’s rivalry game between Badin and Hamilton. “She started keeping score with that team, and that was the first team that went up to state. She was with that first team.”
Sally Wesselman’s connection to baseball stretched long before her years at Badin. A graduate of Western Hills High School, she served as scorekeeper and manager for the school’s 1951-52 state championship baseball team — a rare role for a woman in that era.
“She’s the only girl that I know of that is listed in the roster of players on the OHSAA state baseball website,” said Christy Wesselman, Sally’s daughter, who claims a spot directly behind the backstop during every Badin baseball game.
At Badin, Sally became much more than a scorekeeper. She taped ankles before athletic trainers became common, worked alongside multiple coaching staffs and developed lifelong relationships throughout the baseball community.
“She was involved with baseball her entire life,” Christy Wesselman said.
Even during Sally’s final years, baseball remained central to her life. Christy continued bringing her mother to games while she lived in a nursing facility, helping her into the dugout to remain close to the players and coaches she considered family.
When Sally died on June 4, 2016, Badin happened to be competing in the state semifinals that same day.
“Unfortunately, we were state-runner up that year,” Christy Wesselman said. “I wanted to do something kind of special to remember her.”
That desire eventually became the Angel in the Dugout Memorial Fund. A plaque honoring Sally now sits inside the Badin dugout, while the endowment provides financial assistance to players in the program.
“We set up this endowment fund to support the players and that pay-to-play fee that they incur,” Christy Wesselman said. “We’re looking at sustainability of that so that we can continue this fund throughout the years.”
The fund awarded assistance to two Badin players this year, and organizers hope it can eventually grow into a scholarship opportunity for future seniors.
“At some point in time, we hope it’ll turn into a scholarship,” Christy Wesselman said.
The fund’s impact extends beyond finances. Christy Wesselman said continuing the tradition has become a personal promise she made to her mother during her final months.
“She said, ‘I need you to take care of my boys,’” Christy Wesselman said. “I didn’t know what that was going to look like, but it’s become this endowment fund.”
Christy still attends games regularly, often sitting on the same bucket her mother once used near the dugout.
“This is my time of year,” she said. “This is what I do. I’m very dedicated to the boys just as my mother was.”
Badin’s baseball community has embraced the effort, including support from coach Brion Treadway and numerous former players and families connected to the program over several generations.
“I can’t thank Coach Treadway and all of the coaches enough for being so supportive,” Christy Wesselman said.
“The Angel in the Dugout fund helps pay for Badin Baseball players’ athletic fees,” Treadway added. “Our families are investing in their son’s life by choosing a Badin education and the tuition that goes with that choice. The Angel in the Dugout fund helps these families offset additional expenses and is a huge relief to families in need. Sally Wesselman was around Badin Baseball for many years and this is a great way to honor her legacy and passion for the game of baseball.”
As Badin continues yet another deep postseason run — while donning a national ranking this spring — Christy believes Sally would be proud of the program’s continued success.
“They have just worked so hard,” she said. “The boys work so hard, and the coaches work so hard.”
Still, the victories and rankings only tell part of the story.
Sally Wesselman’s legacy remains a lasting reminder that some of the most important figures in a program never step onto the field.
To support Angel in the Dugout, visit https://badinhs.org/memorialdonation.html and specific “Angel in the Dugout” in the write-in section.
