The Republican Congressional Baseball Team returned to Eugene Simpson Stadium Park for their first practice since the shooting on June 14, 2017.
The team, led by team manager Rep. Joe Barton, held the practice on Wednesday morning. Two of the individuals injured in the shooting, lobbyist Matt Mika and legislative aide Zack Barth, were present at the practice. House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, who is in recovery from recent medical procedures, was not present at the practice.
“I had no idea how things would end that fateful day, but I prayed and had faith that God would take care of me. And he did, through the life-saving actions of the US Capitol Police and Rep. Brad Wenstrup,” Scalise said on Twitter. “Without them on that field, that day could have ended much differently.”
Scalise returned to MedStar Washington Hospital on April 16 for a series of planned inpatient procedures related to his recovery from injuries sustained during the shooting, the hospital announced in a news release. He was discharged on Saturday. Scalise spent significant time in the hospital in the months following the shooting for his injuries and for an infection he contracted as a result of his injuries.
Read: Our coverage of the Eugene Simpson Stadium Park shooting.
Paramedics at the Alexandria Fire Department who responded to the shooting and treated the wounds of the injured that day – Chad Shade and Fiona Apple – also attended the practice. The Alexandria Police Department officers who responded the day of the shooting, Alexander Jensen, Kevin Jobe and Nicole Battaglia, were recognized with gold awards at the Alexandria Chamber’s Valor Awards on April 19.
The team has ramped up its security and will continue practicing at the field until the Congressional Baseball Game, which will be held on June 14, the one-year anniversary of the shooting.
