Paying Tribute: Ohio Outlaw Aedre Ault Wears #’s 13 & 32 in Memory of Her Late Uncle Matthew, Who Died After a Football Injury

Aedre Blair Ault (pronounced “AYE-Dree”) is a 13-year-old centerfield and first base from Ohio who has played for some of the top club teams in the Midwest including the Ohio Outlaws National (13U) softball team and Beverly Bandits – Bailey.

This summer playing for the Bandits, the Class of 2028 talent batted .393 and hit .429 with runners in scoring positions. She also had an impressive .500 on-base percentage while stealing 44 bases and scoring 64 runs.

As strong as those numbers are, there are two others that carry even greater weight for the young athlete—she wears #’s 13 and 32 on her softball uniforms to honor her late uncle Matthew Blair Ault, who died at the age of 17 more than a quarter of a century ago.

Matthew was a three-sport athlete at Meigs High School.  As a Junior, he was a member of the 1996 baseball team that reached the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II State baseball championship game.

He wore the number 13 on his baseball jersey.  He also wrestled for three years and was the starting defensive back for the football team his senior year in high school.  His # 32 football jersey is retired and on display at the school.

While not yet born at the time of Matthew’s death, Aedre carries on the sports tradition of her family and is proud to wear the number 13 and number 32 in remembrance of her uncle who meant so much to everyone.

Not only does she share his middle name, but she also has many of the same traits and qualities that made him so beloved.

“Wearing his numbers helps keep his memory alive,” Aedre said.

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Matthew, you will never be forgotten

On October 18, 1996, Matt collapsed outside the locker room after a 21-20 come-from-behind road win over the Waverly Tigers in a Friday night football game.

The teen athlete was transported to a local hospital and then was flown to the trauma center at the Ohio State University where he died the next day.

An autopsy determined that Matthew’s death was a result of swelling of the brain caused by a brain hemorrhage and the autopsy report stated the hemorrhage was likely caused by a direct blow to the head sustained during the Friday night game.

Over 1,500 people attended the teen’s funeral which was held in the gymnasium of the high school.  Friends and strangers from all over attended the funeral and the procession to the cemetery was nearly two miles long.

Dr. Kelly J. Roush has written two books, both titled Sports Concussion and Neck Trauma, Preventing Injury for Future Generations, and each is dedicated to Matthew. The second book even has a picture of Aedre on the cover and Dr. Roush also displays a replica football jersey of Matthew’s in her office.

At the original book signing, many of Matthew’s friends spoke and shared stories of all the good times they had together.

Mike Chancey, the head football coach at Meigs High School in Pomeroy, Ohio, at the time of Matt’s death, also addressed the crowd and told how hard Matthew worked to become a starter and how he always put his team and his teammates first.

The young athlete and his family also put others first in a life-saving way, literally.

Matthew was an organ donor and one of the recipients was Molly Peters, who received Matthew’s liver more than 25 years ago.

“I will always be eternally grateful for the Ault/Shank family for giving me life when they had to say goodbye to their son, their brother,” Molly says.

“As a mother of three beautiful kids, I never want to have to make that decision, but I’m glad they did. I am so thankful I had a chance to meet them and get to know what an amazing family they are.  Matthew, you will never be forgotten.”

One of Matthew’s former childhood friends remembers the impact he made on others.

“Matthew was a unique person,” the friend said. “He was caring, compassionate friendly and funny.  If he met you once, he considered you his friend.  He never met a stranger. “

Another school friend commented:

“I think I speak for many people when I say Matt will live forever in our hearts and will always be with us in spirit.  Thanks, Matt, for all the fun times and wonderful memories.”

“You will always be missed.”

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Athletic Family Ties

Aedre’s former club coach, Matt Bailey, of the Beverly Bandits, explains:

“Aedre brings something special to a team.  It’s energy, it’s heart!  She has something inside of her that makes her the player she is.  There is a reason she comes up with all those big hits in crucial situations, she is a great teammate.”

A sixth grader with a 4.0 GPA at Eastern Elementary School in Reedsville, Ohio, Aedre is a player on the rise in the Class of 2028.  Like her Uncle Matt, she is a three-sport athlete, playing not only club softball, but is also a member of the Eastern Eagles Middle School softball team.

Aedre also plays basketball and volleyball and, just like Matthew who was a Boy Scout, Aedre likes to fish and hunt and has bagged a deer each of the past few hunting seasons.

One of four girls in the family—one sister is older while two others are younger—the talented young player isn’t the only one with softball ties in her family; her father, Ty, has coached her for many years in a variety of sports including being a travel softball coach on several of his daughter’s teams.

But whether dad is there on the field, in the dugout or in the stands, Aedre has made sure that her close family ties will always be remembered with her wearing the jersey numbers of 13 and 32 in tribute to a greatly loved family member who died before she was born.