Scholarship Tournament Set In Memory of Local Family

WILLS POINT — An East Texas town is coming together to honor the victims and survivors of a November fatal crash. The Wills Point Baseball/Softball Association will host its first ever Hardman/Watson Memorial Scholarship Tournament, April 11-12. According to KETK, the tournament will honor the memory and legacy of a family whose lives were lost on their way to Disney World for a vacation.

On November 19, Louisiana Troopers responded to the single-vehicle crash on Interstate 20, just west of Calhoun. The preliminary investigation revealed an SUV, driven by a Andrew Hardman, 16, was traveling east on I-20 when the vehicle ran off the road and into the median. After entering the median, the driver overcorrected and the vehicle began to rollover. As the vehicle was rolling over, six of the eight occupants were ejected. Kaci Hardman, 4, Adam Hardman, 7, and Dakota Watson, 15, as well as two adults, Michael and Trudi Hardman, ages 42 and 31, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Andrew, who was properly restrained, was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. Two additional passengers, identified as sixth-graders, Aaron Hardman and Hunter Watson, were taken to local hospitals with moderate injuries. None of the ejected passengers were wearing a seatbelt. Trudi was a kindergarten teacher at Wills Point ISD and head been an educator for 14 years. Her husband, Michael, taught at Terrell ISD.

On April 11, around 8:00 a.m., the survivors and family of both the Hardman and Watson families will be on hand to throw out the first pitch of the tournament. They will also kick off the fundraising efforts to build a playground at the ballpark to serve as a everlasting memorial for the family. The board hopes to have a “gofundme” account set up soon. Anyone wishing to donate may mail their donation to:

The Wills Point Baseball Association
P.O. Box 94
Wills Point, TX 75169