38 October 2021
It's All in the Family
The Folks Back Home are Pulling for Austin Warren
BY EARL VAUGHAN JR.
F
ayetteville native Austin Warren was two weeks into a major league
baseball career that had once seemed improbable.
Following a game in early August, in which he recorded his first
official win to li his Los Angeles Angels to a 4-3 win over the rival
Dodgers, the rookie pitcher tried to relay his feelings to Angels'
broadcaster Jose Mota.
"Wow," he said. "is has been amazing. A dream come true. I'm just glad to be
here with the guys, and we're going to keep rolling.''
And when asked if he had a message for his mom and family back in North
Carolina, for the folks who had believed in him for all those years when others
didn't, Austin was, as usual, a man of few but meaningful words.
FEATURE
Austin's Army, left to right, Nicole L'Hommedieu and Alex Navarro, who've followed Warren since advanced Class A baseball;
Lynn Halliburton, Keely Warren, Trinity Carroll, Austin Warren, Alana Hix and Sherri Williams. Back row: Kevin Walker, Marty Warren
and Terry Sanford High School baseball coach Sam Guy.
When Austin Warren got that
life-changing call in July, his
entourage of family and friends
mobilized to make sure they
would be there when he made
his debut on the mound against
Oakland on July 29.
