Emotions were running high at the Field of Dreams charity softball tournament. It marked the triumphant return of Tyler England to the annual event after a life-threatening injury and memorialized the loss of former player Dwight Gilbert in one of the best ways possible, a championship for the Gilbert Farms family and friends team.

Following the 2021 tournament, England was in a near-fatal accident while driving back to Powell from the field near Heart Mountain. He was ejected from his truck in the crash, and suffered multiple broken bones and head injuries.

Few, if any, on the scene of the tragic one-car accident thought he would live. After being life-flighted to Billings and undergoing emergency treatment, he was in a coma for more than a week. Yet, he made a remarkable recovery — in time to play shortstop for the Sons of Pitches team organized by his boss and friend, Heath Worstell.

The entire community came together to support England after the accident and the charity softball tournament was able to donate half of the revenue from the tournament to his cause. 

At this year’s tournament, England took the field Friday night as if nothing had happened. But it was an emotional return for the entire team, as well as friends and fans of the former professional athlete.

“It’s a blessing,” said Worstell, fighting back the emotions. “He’s an outstanding individual and we’re very grateful and glad he’s here.”

England was humbled by the experience.

“The amount of support I got from the whole community was crazy,” he said. “It’s really humbling and makes you proud to live where you live, that’s for sure.”

England is currently back on track in his education, studying for his masters in physics. He hopes to get his teaching certificate in the near future.

The tight group fought their way into the championship game, but Gilbert Farms proved too much for the team. They were tied going into the final inning when Matt Bebo hit a towering home run over the “brown monster” in left field.

Tournament organizers, Erin and Dave Johnson, create a new field every year on their Park County farm. This year they dedicated the field to relatives from Boston who attended the event, calling it Beanfield Ballpark, with features similar to the Boston Red Sox’s Fenway Park.

The Johnson and Borcher families used 320 large round bales to create the outfield walls, including stacking four levels of the bales to pay homage to Fenway’s Green Monster outfield wall.

The win was icing on the cake to the team as they honored Gilbert, who lost his fight with cancer in May. Gilbert loved softball, where he earned the nickname “Big D,” loved the color purple and would have celebrated his 77th birthday during the first day of the tournament. Five of his family members were wearing the purple jerseys as they won the final game 10-6 and were awarded the Field of Dreams tournament traveling trophy.

“He would have loved this,” said Pudge Fagan, who accepted the trophy for the team.

Mike Keys, who played for the Buds, also honored the loss of his father, Michael, who passed away last Wednesday. 

“He loved softball so much, Mikey thought this was a great way to honor him,” Erin Johnson said.

Keys used his father’s baseball glove for the tournament and said he found being with his friends “comforting.”

“Just having people come and enjoy themselves builds in a little bit of sense of community with people and they want to give back,” Dave Johnson said.

This year, instead of making one or two large donations, each of the eight teams independently decided the charities that would be supported. Frank Fagan, manager of the Misfits, said they were donating to Race 4 Recovery, a non-profit, charity motocross racing organization started by two Powell teens.