SSC Holds Candlelight Vigil Honoring Student-Athlete Denim Harris

Josh Hutton

Seminole State College held a candlelight vigil on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Lloyd Simmons Field at the Brian Crawford Memorial (BCM) Sports Complex to honor the life of freshman baseball student-athlete Denim Harris. A capacity crowd of over 300 attended, including his Trojan teammates, student-athletes from other SSC teams, faculty and staff, baseball parents and community members.

Portrait photo of Denim Harris.
Denim Harris, 18, a freshman outfielder on the Seminole State College baseball team, died in a car accident on Oct. 16, 2025. A candlelight vigil in his honor was held Oct. 21 at Lloyd Simmons Field.

Harris, an outfielder on the SSC baseball team and a 2025 graduate of Mansfield Timberview High School in Texas, died in a car accident on Oct. 16, 2025. He was 18.

Ben Hill, Lead Pastor of Frontline Church in Shawnee, offered remarks during the service and read written tributes from the Trojan baseball team and Head Baseball Coach Mack Chambers.

“Denim was the kind of person who made everything better just by being there. He was a natural-born leader who brought energy into every room — joy, laughter and life,” Chambers said. “He was coachable, humble and driven to do things the right way. He didn’t just want to play — he wanted to be great, and he was on that path.”

Group photo of the SSC Trojan baseball team holding Harris's framed jerseys.
Trojan Baseball players stand beneath the videoboard displaying a photo of teammate Denim Harris as they hold framed jerseys later presented to his family.

Chambers also recalled a fall exhibition game that captured Harris’s spirit and confidence. “I gave him the bunt sign and told him, ‘It’s gotta be a special one.’ He swung instead — and hit a three-run home run,” Chambers said. “That was Denim. Always listening, always thinking, always trusting his gut and always willing to bet on himself.”

The service featured a video tribute, followed by a moment of reflection as candles were lit throughout the stadium stands in honor of Harris.

Crowd holds candles in honor of Denim Harris.
A capacity crowd of over 300 fills the stands at Lloyd Simmons Field during the candle lighting at the vigil honoring the life of SSC baseball student-athlete Denim Harris.

The Trojan baseball team presented Harris’s family with framed displays of his jerseys, along with his glove and bat encased in glass. The keepsakes were offered as a tribute to his impact on the program and as a lasting remembrance of his place in the Trojan baseball family.