NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — It didn't take long for Amy Tilghman to start recalling the memories of her son, Virginia pitcher Cullen McKay, falling in love with baseball as a kid at Harbor Park.
"We were season ticket holders and he was on this tron dancing every game," she recalled with a smile. "The cameras loved him."
The former Maury standout made his return to the field on Tuesday night with the Cavaliers to face Old Dominion along with a few more teammates with Hampton Roads ties.
Cox graduate Ethan Anderson, Western Branch product Harrison Didawick, and Lafayette's Luke Hanson were all in UVA's starting lineup.
Didawick's parents, Debi and Mark, couldn't help but feel a full circle effect watching their son run out to his centerfield spot.
"It's every little kid's dream. Harrison had the opportunity on one of the teams he played with, he got to be on the field pregame," said Mark Didawick. "And I'm sure he's remembering that night today."
The four players were no strangers before going to Virginia, crossing paths through travel teams and high school games in the Tidewater region.
Those meetings helped get the families linked together as well, a bond that's now continued as their sons have taken their careers to Charlottesville.
"We end up taking each other's son's out to dinner all the time," Mark said. "Whenever I'm not there, the Hansons take Harrison or we'll take Luke."
"I'll hear Debi calling out for Cullen on the field," Tilghman said. "Sometimes I'd rather her call out my son's name than me."
They've watched together as the four have reached heights like getting to the College World Series in 2023. Through the successes and the letdowns, the link has grown between the families.
"All of our kids have highs, all of our kids have lows," Debi Didawick said. "We're there to pick each other up when we need to be picked up and to celebrate each other when it's time to celebrate."
Though Tuesday night's game ended with in a 7-4 loss to the Monarchs, the meaning of the game still resonates with all four families. Seeing their boys return to the place where they first began dreaming of making it in baseball enough to wipe out one loss.
"The support that the 757 has given these kids, it's immeasurable," Tilghman said.
"The kid that I used to bring to get his grab bag of trading cards is now on the field playing," Debi said. "It's pretty cool."
