Nine-year-old Kansas batboy dies after blow to head from practice swing
Image: Little League baseball players (Shutterstock.com)

Update:


Kasier Carlisle passed away from his injuries early Monday morning according to a statement on Facebook from minor league baseball team:

With the permission of the family, and with much sorrow and a very broken heart, I regretfully inform everyone that Kaiser Carlile passed away earlier this evening. Please keep his family and our team in your thoughts and prayers. Thank you all for the support during this ordeal.

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A 9-year-old batboy for a Kansas baseball team was in critical condition on Sunday after being accidentally struck in the head by a player taking practice swings while waiting for his turn at the plate, a hospital official said.

Kaiser Carlisle was knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of his head from a batter warming up during a game on Saturday in Wichita, bringing play to a halt as emergency medical personnel rushed onto the field, according to local television station KAKE-TV.

Kaiser was serving as a batboy for the Bee Jays, a team from Liberal, Kansas, competing in the National Baseball Congress World Series, which consists of teams from 15 amateur and semi-professional leagues in the United States and Canada.

Kaiser was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis on Sunday afternoon, a hospital supervisor said.

The Bee Jays Facebook page posted hundreds of comments from well-wishers nationwide, including Liberal Mayor Joe Denover.

"Kaiser, we love you, are praying for you and cheering for you," the mayor wrote.

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City; Editing by Steve Gorman and Sandra Maler)