WATCH | See the baseball grand slam a 12-year-old hit days before a deadly plane crash

He was only 12, but James Ryan Van Epps was already quite the athlete, according to his teammates and friends.

On Wednesday, J.R. belted a grand slam while playing in a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, New York. After the game, he got the cellphone video from his parents and shared it with a friend back home in metro Atlanta.

“Grand slam!” J.R. wrote.

“Cool!” his friend replied.

Days later, J.R. and his family were on their way back to Milton when their small plane crashed in rural New York. J.R., his parents, younger brother and grandfather were all killed in the crash Sunday afternoon.

Both the north Fulton County and youth baseball communities are grieving the losses of J.R., 10-year-old Harrison Van Epps, 43-year-old Laura Van Epps, 42-year-old Ryan Van Epps and 76-year-old Roger Beggs. Beggs was Laura’s father, according to the family.

“As we grapple with this unimaginable loss, let us come together to remember and celebrate the beautiful lives they lived,” the Van Epps family said in a statement posted on Facebook. “Their kindness, laughter and love will forever be etched in our hearts.”

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