Today's OC Register features a heartwarming story by reporter Steve Fryer about a surprise the JSerra Varsity Baseball team planned for Head Coach Brett Kay:

JSerra baseball players surprise coach Brett Kay with a drive-by get-together

Brett Kay was dressed in running gear, ready to take on the nearby hills.

Running those hills has provided exercise and psychological therapy for Kay, the baseball coach at JSerra, since the high school spring sports season was postponed and later canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Kay was about to start his run Sunday, but his wife Kristen stopped him.

"She said, 'wait, I need you to do this for me, and do that for me,'" said Kay, JSerra's coach since the 2007 season.

"And then her parents were at the door. And then all of a sudden, like 20 cars start coming by."

Driving the cars and trucks past Kay's home in Ladera Ranch were JSerra baseball players. They honked horns, yelled greetings, asked how their coach was doing and had brief conversations while adhering to the social-distancing guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic.

"How is life? How's your family? Thank you so much ... "

Bridee Schrier, mother of JSerra's shortstop, senior Cody Schrier, led the coordination of the drive-by greeting.

"It was very heartwarming, very special," Kay said. "So many parents came by, too. They were taking pictures of me with the seniors 6 or 7 feet away."

Kay holds out hope that something can be done to get this JSerra team together for a series of games.

There has been talk that Orange County coaches might create a tournament of some type that would bring together the county's best teams and players, or perhaps it would be a seniors-only series of games.

Guy Lemmon and Dick Owens for many years have organized the Ryan Lemmon Foundation Senior Showcase group of games that are played at the end of each season. The Senior Showcase gets the top graduating seniors from 10 leagues, with one league's seniors playing against another league's seniors (Sunset League vs. Trinity League, Pacific Coast League vs. South Coast League, etc.).

Lemmon and Owens, coordinating with county baseball coaches, hope to have a similar series of games, perhaps with more leagues and players involved, in place for June 4-7 at Windrow Park in Irvine if the facility is available and sports activities are allowed.

With the talent and character on the JSerra's roster, Kay thought 2020 could be a memorable season for the Lions.

In an unexpected way, it is.

"That was one of the more special moments I've had in my career," Kay said of of the visit from his players. "Like I've said all along, this is the type of team that would do that sort of thing, and they did it."