Southern High pitcher killed in accident was a “light” for the team

For a high school baseball player, stepping onto the field at Joe Cannon Stadium is a special experience. With an imposing water tower towering over the left field fence and enough seating for 1,500 fans, Hanover Ballpark has been called Anne Arundel's own field of dreams.

Not every baseball player gets the chance to play there. But shortly before the end of his career, Daniel Helmly Jr. of Southern High School stepped onto the Joe Cannon Mound at a critical point.

The Southern Bulldogs led the Northeast Eagles by one run in the bottom of the fifth inning. Neither team had a strong season in 2023, but Southern was still the underdog. That didn't seem to affect Helmly, who pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings to secure a win in the senior's penultimate ballgame.

Varsity coach Kyle Lynch, who begins his 10th season at Southern in the spring, recalled Helmly making the final out. The young pitcher came off the mound screaming, full of adrenaline and excitement. That's not how Lynch wants his players to behave, telling the senior to “act like he's been here before.”

“But coach,” Helmly replied, “I’ve never done that before!”

For Lynch, this moment was “Daniel in a nutshell.”

“Good boy and a good heart,” Lynch said. “We will definitely miss him.”

While riding with a friend on Sunday afternoon, Helmly's motorcycle crashed into a turning SUV in Edgewater, near the South River Bridge. The driver and passengers of the larger vehicle were taken to area hospitals with minor injuries, but Helmly was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 19 years old.

“What a blast. It always is,” said pitching coach Ken O'Brien, who helped make Helmly Southern's closer of choice.

The two had met years before their time at Harwood High School when Helmly played with O'Brien's son on a youth team in South County. Even then, he knew Helmly had talent. Although the boy had raw talent and a fastball, Helmly held on to his hopes of becoming a catcher.

For years, that was his position. But when it came time to become a Bulldog, Helmly had to adapt. Not only did a back injury make it difficult for him to sit behind the plate, but his addition to the roster also left the varsity team with three catchers. Helmly struggled to ascend to a starting position, O'Brien said.

In his final season, the Lothian teenager was looking to get some playing time. O'Brien suggested he return to the mound and Helmly quickly got to work. The biggest step was reworking the teenager's throwing technique, which was geared towards a quick throw behind the plate. Now it was all about power and accuracy.

“It was certainly a struggle at the beginning, but he threw the ball hard and it was hard work,” O'Brien said. “And by the end of the season, I didn't want anyone else on the mound.”

Both Southern coaches described Helmly as a reliable relief pitcher with potential who could get the team out of tough situations. His curveball — which Helmly called his “Snap Dragon” — was a point of pride. O'Brien said the pitch, which had more downward movement than sideways movement, would “fall off the rack.”

When he moved to the mound, however, it was Helmly's determination that caught his coaches' attention. He was always the first one in the bullpen, O'Brien said. He asked questions. He made changes and asked for feedback. To his coaches, his role in his development was a sign of maturity.

“He probably taught me as much, if not more, than I taught him,” O'Brien said.

The Bulldogs won just four games in Helmly's senior year, the last of which was his save at Joe Cannon Stadium. Still, Helmly was a source of levity, his coaches said, a “light” in the team's dugout. He was supportive and always ready to smooth over a rough patch with a joke or a quip on the bus ride back to Southern High.

“Smile and then carry on,” O'Brien said.