Cam Christian’s love of the game was so ingrained within his body that his ashes were scattered near the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.

And Christian’s passion for the Auburn School District was so great that he planned to return to teach and coach the area’s youth after his graduation from Seattle University.

A car accident on Oct. 16, 2011 shattered those dreams.

According to the Idaho State Police, the 22-year-old was driving his 2003 Toyota Camry westbound on Highway 2 at about 12:30 a.m. just east of Priest River at milepost 7, when he evasively steered for reasons unknown and overcorrected. He went into a sideslide over the eastbound lane and off the road, where the vehicle overturned and struck a tree.

According to police, alcohol was not a factor and he was wearing a seat belt.

But his legacy goes on, as family and friends hosted the Cam Christian Memorial Tournament, a four-day inaugural event that concluded Sunday.

His parents, Lynn and Debbie, said Cam’s roommate at SU was Arlo Evasick, the tournament director for the Greater Seattle League’s United States Specialty Sports Association. Evasick offered to bring games to Auburn in his friend’s honor.

Lynn, an agent for HBT Insurance and the Western Washington Umpires Association, said the initial plan was to have 16 select teams play games in Auburn. But because of his and Cam’s ties in baseball, Lynn said they had to limit the tournament to 32 teams composed of players 16 years old and younger from the Bellingham, Spokane and Vancouver areas. Games were played at Auburn’s three public high schools and at high schools in Fedral Way and Tacoma.

“That’s what’s so amazing and unreal,” said Debbie, referring to the support. “You think your kid’s pretty special just because he’s your kid and you still know he’s got faults and he’s a teenager. You really don’t want someone to canonize him and make him a saint in his death, but we keep hearing things like his character was impressive.

“Suddenly, we found a different side of our son that we sort of knew was there, but you don’t always know what happens outside the doors of the house. It’s been humbling to find out he was a really good kid. He had a side to him that he could be the class clown and get in trouble … and then he turns it around and touches lives.”

Lynn, who threw out the first pitch on June 2 to begin the tournament at Auburn High, said he enjoys meeting Cam’s former teammates and friends. Cam, an outfielder and a left-handed pitcher, played at Washington State University and Spokane Falls Community College before transferring to SU for his senior season.

“I’m sure we’re going to hear a ton of stories, which is always great,” Lynn said before throwing out the first pitch. “It just seems like we go different places and there’s a memory here and a memory there. It brings back the true nature and the true character he was.”

Lynn said he and Debbie, executive director of the Auburn Food Bank, stressed the importance of giving back to Christian and his older siblings. Tyler is a sergeant for the Auburn Police Department, and Kyara works in the fund development department at Seattle Pacific University.

“All three of our kids have demonstrated to the effect that they understand what life’s about, and they’re just as much about giving back,” Lynn said.

He said Cam used to offer free baseball lessons to local youths. The tournament served as an extension of that. The Christians hoped to raise $5,000-$6,000 that would be divided into scholarships for baseball players, beginning next season, at Auburn’s public high schools. Lynn said that subsidies are important for college baseball players because each NCAA Division I program is limited to 11.7 scholarships.

“It will be nice to get that $750 or $1,000 because we know what it’s like for kids on baseball scholarships,” he said. “They’re tough to get and they divide them up into quarters and 50 percent.”

As a senior at SU, Cam was selected as the Redhawks’ co-captain. He dreamed of playing professional baseball, but those prospects dimmed when opponents hit .400 off him in 14 appearances. Cam, who struggled in school at times as an adolescent before recommitting himself, according to Debbie, planned to teach history or physical education at one of Auburn’s middle schools.

After school, the 2007 Auburn High graduate hoped to team with his father – a former Trojans’ assistant – to rebuild the program at his alma mater.

“One of the last notes I got from him was there was an opportunity to possibly come back to Auburn and coach,” Lynn said. “We’ll build another dynasty.”

Instead, as the sun glistened off the synthetic turf at the Trojans’ new field, the Christians said they they can share their experiences with baseball to future generations.

“This is the life we’ve been living our whole life,” Debbie said. “It’s the life that taught our kids good life lessons. This is home. There’s nothing prettier than a baseball field, as far as I’m concerned.”