As the ball released from Zaydrian Davis’s hand and hurtled toward home base, his father, Shaun Davis, watched nervously but proudly, thinking back to his own days on the mound as an OVS pitcher.
The father-son duo have both been in the spotlight as OVS pitchers. Shaun started at OVS in fifth grade and graduated from the Upper Campus in 1994, playing all four years of high school.
Now his son, a freshman hurler who was the starting pitcher for last week’s second-round CIF playoff game, is doing the same.
“It does take me back a bit,” Mr. Davis said about watching his son compete for the Spuds. “But I noticed it’s much less stressful for me when I’m out on the mound playing than when I’m watching.”
Shaun Davis started playing on a team at nine years old alongside his father as a coach. His mother, Assistant Head of OVS Upper Campus Crystal Davis, also helped out with the team.
Baseball created connection throughout the whole Davis family, whether it was watching games or Shaun Davis giving his son pointers on how to perform on the mound.
“It was a thing that was really important to our family,” said Ms. Davis, who has had the pleasure of watching both her son and grandson play for OVS. “I am so grateful that Zayd can be a part of this experience.”
Zayd has been at OVS since preschool and his father put him in T-ball as soon as he was old enough to play. He then went on to help coach some of his son’s teams and has always cheered him on.
Both Zayd and his father mentioned how baseball has helped them form great teamwork and communication skills.
“For me, baseball was really instrumental, especially with my job being in the military and then the firefighting,” said Mr. Davis, who served in the United States Coast Guard and now works as a Battalion Chief with the Montecito Fire Department.
“It taught me the value of teamwork,” he added, “and how the team as a whole is really what pushes the individual.”
Even with the Davis family’s long history at OVS, it took Zayd awhile to realize his father had played for OVS.
During an alumni baseball event several years ago, Zayd sat on the sidelines and watched his dad pitch. It was then Zayd realized that in just a few short years he would be in the same position.
This season, the pair has practiced together, often at the Oak View Little League field near their home.
They talk about games and strategies, and Mr. Davis has attended as many of Zayd’s games as he could, including last week’s playoff match at Dok Smith Field. While the game didn’t tilt in the Spuds’ favor, Mr. Davis watched every pitch his son threw.
He even recorded some of the action on his phone and then spent a minute between innings reviewing the video to address technique.
Zayd said his father has been doing that for years, and that it’s helpful in figuring out what to work on and how to get better. He also said he’s proud to be carrying on the Davis legacy on the mound.
“I didn’t really think much of it before,” Zayd said of the fact that both he and his father have been OVS pitchers. “But it’s pretty cool that we both went to the same high school, play the same position and get to play on the same field.”
