Nine-year-old Kansas batboy critically injured by blow to head

By Kevin Murphy

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Reuters) - A 9-year-old batboy for a Kansas baseball team was in critical condition on Sunday after being accidentally struck in the head by a player taking practice swings while waiting for his turn at the plate, a hospital official said.

Kaiser Carlisle was knocked unconscious by a blow to the back of his head from a batter warming up during a game on Saturday in Wichita, bringing play to a halt as emergency medical personnel rushed onto the field, according to local television station KAKE-TV.

Kaiser was serving as a batboy for the Bee Jays, a team from Liberal, Kansas, competing in the National Baseball Congress World Series, which consists of teams from 15 amateur and semi-professional leagues in the United States and Canada.

Kaiser was listed in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Via Christi Hospital St. Francis on Sunday afternoon, a hospital supervisor said.

The Bee Jays Facebook page posted hundreds of comments from well-wishers nationwide, including Liberal Mayor Joe Denover.

"Kaiser, we love you, are praying for you and cheering for you," the mayor wrote.

(Reporting by Kevin Murphy in Kansas City; Editing by Steve Gorman and Sandra Maler)