Atascocita High School junior Sawyer Egan is continuing to expand his nonprofit, Double Play Equipment Repurposing, an initiative aimed at increasing access to baseball equipment in communities across Africa.
Egan founded Double Play as a freshman to collect and distribute outgrown or unused baseball gear to young athletes who may not have the means to purchase new equipment. Since then, the organization has grown steadily through community support and ongoing donation efforts.
The nonprofit was created in response to the contrast between the abundance of unused sports equipment in the United States and limited access to resources in other parts of the world.
“My partner, Max Bobholz, from Angels at Bat, said that in Kenya there was not a single place to purchase baseball gear,” Egan said. “I knew what I wanted to do with my organization, so I connected with him, and he helped guide me through the process since I’m still in high school.”
Egan said one of the biggest challenges of running the nonprofit has been facing rejection and discovering that “no” is far more common than “yes," but that being an AHS baseball player taught him that it is constant pressure that leads to change.
He added that support from Humble ISD has been key.
“The educators, coaches and administrators are supportive, and without their help, I would not be able to balance school and Double Play,” Egan said.
Through partnerships with Bobholz and local organizations, Egan has already made a significant impact. At a previous donation event, he collected 800 pounds of baseball equipment, which was sent to six African countries.
“As a coach, you can’t be more proud,” Atascocita High School head baseball coach Jeremy O’Neill said. “We run an ARM [Austin Rieniets Memorial] league, teaching special needs students to play baseball. To see Sawyer create an organization to help others who are not as blessed as we are is truly special.”
Egan hopes to expand his efforts further across Africa, reaching more communities and growing the game of baseball worldwide.
“The Community Braves in Uganda sent me a video of their players using the gear my organization had collected,” Egan said. “They were smiling, dancing and saying their names. It was a great video to watch.”
He said he hopes his donation events help show the Humble community how even small contributions, such as donating a single baseball, can have a worldwide impact.
“Even donating a single baseball can impact youth halfway across the world,” he said.
Community members can support Double Play by donating used baseball equipment at an event scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Atascocita High School, 13300 Will Clayton Parkway. More information is available through Double Play Equipment Repurposing.