Proud Grandfather — By Tommy Purser

I hadn’t been to the Tattnall County High School baseball field in a long time until last Tuesday afternoon.
With Jeff Davis High’s baseball team taking a week off from region games, I had a chance to drive over to Tattnall County to watch Crisp County defeat Tattnall in a region baseball game.
It was a Class AA region game and the Cougars from Cordele needed the win to keep alive their hopes of a playoff spot in the 2025 GHSA Class AA State Tournament.
What was my interest in the Crisp-Tattnall matchup? Simple. Crisp’s senior second baseman was a tall, slim, red-headed player by the name of Holland Purser — the son of Tommy Jr. and Jennifer Purser and the 4th youngest of my five grandchildren.
And I was a pround grandfather indeed as Holland had a flawless day in the field and ripped a pair of singles. He also executed a squeeze bunt which would have been successful had the runner at third base not waited for such a long time before finally, at last, beginning his run to the plate. It wasn’t close. He got caught in a rundown and the blame for the out lay on the shoulders of the runner and the third base coach who went to sleep in the coach’s box.
Holland also reached on an error as the Cougars won
I was a proud grandfather, indeed.
Friday in Cordele, the Cougars swept a double-header over the Battle Creek Warriors and the young Purser finished the 3-game series with seven hits, topped by his 4-for-5 performance in Friday’s nightcap.
WALB-TV in Albany had a film crew to Friday’s game and Holland’s performance earned him a postgame interview and WALB Player of the Week honors.
Making me a proud grandfather, indeed.
Saturday afternoon was another proud grandfather moment for me as all my children and grandchildren gathered on Kiowah Island, S.C., to watch as as my son’s namesake, Tommy Purser III, better known as Trey, got down on one knee and asked for his girlfriend’s hand in marriage — and the celebration was on.
The first leg of the 2-event celebration was dinner at a highly expensive restaurant, the highlight of which was the pile of leftovers remaining after the high-cost but barely edible meal.
Later we gathered at a house rented for the occasion as the two families took the opportunity to get to know each other better and I basked in the warmth of the ever-growing family spawned by the good wife and I.
Yes, it was a good week.
But Monday, as usual, it was back to the grindstone.