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Saturday, July 22, 2000

DeRenne loses
‘little brother’ to
freak accident

His University of Arizona
teammate succumbs after
being hit with baseball

By Dave Reardon
Star-Bulletin

The two little shortstops on the University of Arizona baseball team were both 5 feet 7 inches, about 150 pounds, and of Asian and Caucasian descent.

Both worked tirelessly to get the most out of their baseball ability. They enjoyed a rare mentor-protege relationship for young men so close in age, playing the same position.

People often thought sophomore Kelsey Osburn and junior Keoni DeRenne were brothers.

"They seemed to have the same spirit, they were the same type of ballplayer and the physical resemblance was uncanny," said Mike Osburn, Kelsey's father. "They looked like they could be twins."

Those who thought Kelsey and Keoni were siblings were mistaken, but only technically. DeRenne, the Wildcats' All-American from Honolulu, considered Osburn, the invited walk-on from Tucson, "the little brother I didn't have."

"And his parents are like another set of parents to me,"DeRenne said.

So when Kelsey Osburn died Monday, Keoni DeRenne felt the same kind of pain one does when losing a cherished family member.

DeRenne, in his first year of pro baseball, had little time to grieve. On Tuesday, he was promoted from the Atlanta Braves' Jamestown, N.Y., team in the New York-Penn League to the Macon, Ga. team in the South Atlantic League.

But he hasn't forgotten Osburn, and never will. DeRenne inscribed his game-cap with Osburn's name and Arizona uniform number "41."

"We got really close this year. We stuck together all the time," DeRenne said. "I feel so terrible. How could something like this happen?"

Osburn, who wasn't wearing a helmet, was hit in the head by a batted ball while running the bases during a July 11 practice.

He underwent brain surgery and fell into a coma.

As if fate determined it, Osburn, playing for a summer league team, and DeRenne were both in New York state at the time of the accident.

Two days before, Osburn and his visiting parents had gone to DeRenne's game.

"Kelsey insisted that we go see him, twice," Mike Osburn said. "They were so thrilled to see each other."

The next meeting would be under much different circumstances.

DeRenne drove from Jamestown to the hospital in Rochester to see if there was anything he could do for his friend, clinging barely to life.

"He wasn't the same Kelsey. He couldn't move, he had all these wires and tubes. I just prayed as hard as I could for him," DeRenne said.

Osburn would be very proud of DeRenne's performance.

Since his arrival in Macon, the former Iolani star has contributed to three Braves' victories over the Columbus Red Stixx by going 3-for-6.

News of DeRenne's success makes Mike Osburn smile.

"Keoni was very special to Kelsey and to our family," he said. "We've met Keoni's family and they are wonderful.

"Keoni's mentorship meant a ton to Kelsey."