Montgomery Father Shares Inspiring Message With High School Baseball Players

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WAKA)— Dozens of high school baseball players received a powerful message Tuesday evening from a Montgomery father ahead of the upcoming baseball season for Montgomery Public Schools.

The season kicks off Thursday with a three-day tournament, and a special dinner brought players from six MPS high schools together Tuesday night to motivate and prepare them for the games ahead.

At LAMP High School, students are greeted each day by four simple but powerful words: Be Better Than Yesterday. Those words took on even greater meaning as Todd Romanowski spoke about his late son, Will, who loved playing baseball at LAMP.

“He was not the biggest kid, he was not the fastest kid, didn’t throw the hardest,” Romanowski said. “He had to work hard and persevere.”

Will, a former LAMP student and Auburn University Presidential Scholar, had just completed his freshman year when he died in a car accident in June 2023. He had been working a summer job in Montgomery and was returning from a delivery in Alexander City when his truck hydroplaned and hit a tree.

“The last words I got to say to my son were, ‘Have a good day, buddy,’” Romanowski said.

Through their grief, the Romanowski family found hope.

“On the day that he died, his big sister Phelps, a teacher in Mobile, found a little note in his room that said, ‘Be Better Than Yesterday’ in his handwriting,” Romanowski said. “We have no idea where it came from or why he wrote it. We just know it meant to him that he could push himself and be better than yesterday.”

Now, Will’s message is inspiring others. Thousands of people wear bracelets with his words, encouraging young athletes to embody leadership and character.

“Our world needs leaders right now,” LAMP head baseball coach Frank Parsons said. “We need young men who are doing the right things, that are full of character and understanding, who say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna play an important part in this community as a leader. Help me build those skills so I can do it.’”

Romanowski challenged the athletes to reflect on how they can improve each day.

“You really can be better than yesterday with the saving grace of our Lord,” he said. “The only way that I make it through every day is that I know that I’ve got that hope that I will see my son again in heaven.”

The MPS Classic Tournament runs from Thursday, Feb. 14, through Saturday, Feb. 16, at Paterson Field and LAMP High School. Tickets are available on Go Fan.