Steilacoom High School student, baseball player dies in car crash on Saturday
Reese Widman, a 17-year-old student at Steilacoom High School, died in a car crash near Steilacoom in the early morning hours on Saturday, Jan. 7. Widman was a standout baseball player at Steilacoom. He was on his way to pursuing his dream of playing college baseball, having committed to Pierce College.
Widman’s dad, Corey, is the head baseball coach at Steilacoom High School. Marc Wiese, who coaches baseball at Puyallup High, runs New Level 360, a select baseball club where some of the area’s high school players train in the offseason. Widman was part of the program. In a post on the New Level 360 Facebook page, Wiese offered condolences.
“Reese, Corey and Kelly have been part of the original 12 that started New Level,” the post states. “The memories, friendships and brotherhood we’ve created over these years is the reason we began. Reese is one of the most amazing men I’ve had the privilege to coach. Please keep Coach Corey and his wife, Kelly, in your thoughts and prayers. I love you Reese. You will never be forgotten.”
Details are limited regarding what caused the crash, which occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Saturday on DuPont-Steilacoom Road, about two-thirds of a mile north of the intersection with East Drive. DuPont-Steilacoom Road connects the cities of DuPont and Steilacoom and runs parallel to JBLM. The stretch of road between the East Drive intersection and Steilacoom is undeveloped, heavily wooded and lined with trees.
Military Police and Fire Emergency Services from Joint-Base Lewis McChord first responded to the scene, a spokesperson from JBLM confirmed. Since the crash resulted in a fatality, the case has been turned over to the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division, which is continuing its investigation.
A GoFundMe has been organized to assist with funeral expenses and to help the family. A prayer vigil was held at the Steilacoom baseball field on Sunday. A meal train has also been organized for the family. It has already been booked through the end of March with people signing up to bring meals to the Widman family.
Widman was selected to The News Tribune’s 2022 All-Area baseball team in his junior season and was a first-team all-league selection in the Class 2A South Puget Sound League as an infielder. He hit .696 with runners in scoring position for the Sentinels last spring and led the team in hits and RBI.
In a comment on the New Level 360 Facebook page, Corey Widman wrote: “Thank you all for the love. He was a special young man. My favorite player.”
