Brian and Kevin Nannini were both baseball stars before they drowned in the San Luis Reservoir back in 2004. Now their family is making sure other kids have the chance to play ball and pursue a college education.
Dave Nannini's tire store in Merced is filled with pictures of smiling children proudly sporting team uniforms. But these joyful moments have not eased the pain of losing his twin sons 10 years ago.
"It's just like yesterday. I've talked to a lot of different families that have lost a loved one, a son or a daughter, and you talk to them, and it's like we were just talking to them the night before," said Nannini.
Kevin and Brian were fishing with a friend in the San Luis Reservoir on Feb. 29, 2004, when their boat capsized in the windy weather. The athletic 27-year-olds tried to swim for help, but their bodies were found weeks later. The third man was rescued after clinging to a cooler in the cold water.
"It affected Mike quite a bit because he was the one that lived, and the other two boys are gone now," said Nannini.
But the Nannini family is making sure the twins will never be forgotten. Every year since the tragedy, Dave Nannini has helped organize a varsity baseball game in their names between Merced and Golden Valley high schools.
"Kevin and Brian went to Merced High, and then my other two sons Darren and Justin went to Golden Valley High," said Nannini.
The game raises scholarship money for the seniors on both teams. The brothers' foundation has awarded more than $40,000 for higher education over the past decade.
"It is a great cause, and the kids do appreciate it," said Merced Youth Baseball Commissioner Paul Cortez.
Cortez says Dave Nannini also plays many key roles in Merced Youth Baseball, which serves more than 600 young athletes.
"He's co-commissioner, he's co-president of all my leagues, he's my treasurer, he's our lead person in our sports complex committee that built the Little League baseball field, so he's everything as far as toward our baseball league," said Cortez.
He's also a proud grandfather, fulfilling a promise he made shortly before losing his boys.
"My son Brian had just come up to me and told me, 'Dad, when Andrew can play baseball, I want you to coach him,' and to have a son tell you that it just really stuck to me," said Nannini.
Information about Kevin & Brian Nannini Scholarship Foundation Baseball Game:
Cougars Vs. Bears
Friday, April 11, at 7 p.m.
Merced High School Field
Donations can be made to:
Kevin & Brian Nannini Scholarship Foundation
Merced School Employees Credit Union
P.O. Box 1349
Merced, CA 95341
For more information, contact Dave Nannini at 209-384-8473
