Eddie Guessford '04 was sitting in his office one day last spring when his phone rang.

The physical education teacher and head baseball coach at C.C. Erwin Middle School in Salisbury, North Carolina, answered and heard the voice of an opposing head coach C.C. Erwin was slated to play. As it turned out, the coach had a player on his team who was born with one leg shorter than the other. Despite his disability, the young man was determined to play baseball and had the shorter leg amputated to achieve his dream of playing ball.
 
The coach had one simple request for Guessford: "I want to let the kid play."
 
Guessford, an All-American baseball standout at Averett University, agreed and the plan was set. However, on game day, C.C. Erwin found itself with a comfortable lead and the opposing coach walked over to Guessford between innings and said: "I don't think I'm going to be able to get the kid into the game," to which Guessford replied: "Yes, you are. You're going to put him in and let him get an at-bat."
 
The pair agreed and several innings later, the young man had his chance at the plate and didn't disappoint. He worked a walk to get on first base and later came home to score.
 
For Guessford, the whole moment was about perspective.
 
"Whether I'm coaching baseball or football or teaching my students and kids, I always preach having perspective," Guessford said. "I'm always telling the kids their success depends on their perspective in life, and knowing your role, whether it's on the baseball field, at work or at home. So, to have a moment where they could see me gain a new perspective, it was pretty special."
 
Perspective is a word Guessford throws around a lot in conversation and it's something that helped him accomplish quite a bit as a member of Averett's baseball team.

The two-year outfielder was a crucial piece of Averett's 2003 USA South Conference Tournament championship team, helping lead the team to its first title and appearance in the NCAA Regional. He was named to the 2003 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Division III All-American Second Team and batted a team-high .462 with six home runs, 16 doubles and 53 runs batted in. He also earned 2003 USA South All-Conference First Team and VaSID All-State First Team honors while making the USA South Tournament team.
 
Guessford followed his breakout season with an impressive 2004, where he picked up USA South First Team recognition again and was selected to the VaSID All-State Honorable Mention Team.
 
For his contributions to Averett, Guessford will be one of four members inducted into the 2017 Averett Athletics Hall of Fame class.
 
"A situation like this will humble you in a heartbeat," Guessford said. "It makes you grateful for every piece of the puzzle along the way that made the vision possible and as grand as it is. It makes you so appreciative of all the tremendous people at Averett that helped the pieces to the puzzle fit."
 
Another word Guessford tosses around quite a bit is brotherhood, especially when referencing Averett's 2003 conference tournament championship team.
 
"We all knew our role and were all really close. You could feel it every time you went to the park," Guessford said. "You knew each player and each guy had each other's backs. It was a family deal, man. If somebody was down, the next guy picked him up. Everybody always stepped up and knew somebody was going to make a big pitch, make a big play and get a big hit. We always counted on each other to come through."
 
In fact, it's that sense of camaraderie and brotherhood Guessford credits for helping him achieve his individual accomplishments as well.
 
He recalled spending quite a bit of time with friend and former teammate Greg Stevens at the batting cage Stevens and his family had built on their property. When not in the classroom, practice or at a game, Guessford and Stevens could be found knocking the ball around, perfecting their swings. The duo had everything they needed as the cage had a bed, couch, sofa and TV so Guessford and Stevens could rest and entertain themselves between swings.
 
"Ed Fulton was the head coach at the time and he taught us the craft and some of the knowledge he'd picked up from Florida State University and playing minor league ball and we took that information and ran with it," Guessford said. "Greg and I clicked really well and even after he graduated and came back to Averett as a coach, I still ran out to his cage my senior year at night and on the weekends to hit."
 
Batting cages and baseball diamonds weren't the only places Guessford felt that camaraderie in his time at Averett. He experienced it at every turn at Averett and it was one of the big reasons he came back as an assistant coach on the baseball team after graduating.
 
"The team was very tight, but I also had friends on every team and we always supported each other," Guessford said. "It's a really tight-knit group at Averett. I loved knowing I had a second family at Averett and it really encouraged me when I got down and that's what made me want to come back as an assistant coach."
 
While most Division III student-athletes never touch the field or court after graduating, Guessford was one of the lucky ones who got to continue his playing career after leaving Averett.
 
In 2005, Guessford signed a contract with the Chico Outlaws of the Golden Baseball League. In his first season of professional baseball, he posted a .266 batting average and hit two home runs while driving in 17 runs. Guessford jumped over to the Frontier League in 2006, where he batted .273 with two home runs and 28 runs batted in.
 
Unfortunately for Guessford, 2006 proved to be his last year playing ball, but the Salisbury, North Carolina, native returned home and still pursues his passion for sports as a physical education teacher and middle school baseball coach. If it wasn't for his time at Averett, Guessford may have never found his current calling.
 
"I had teachers like Dr. Richard Ferguson, Tommy Foster and Coach (Barbara) Kushubar," Guessford said. "I watched how those teachers formed relationships with students on the college level and it made me realize I could teach and coach for a career. I thought getting to teach sports, something you love, and to be outside all day was a win-win and I started heading in that direction."