BLUFFTON, Ohio — March 2, 2007, was a day that changed countless lives in the Bluffton community.
15 years ago, the Bluffton community lost five of its own when a bus carrying the university's baseball team crashed in Georgia.
"We want to remember the lives lost. We want to remember the impact on the players and the coaches and the team that day," Robin Bowlus said.
Bowlus was Bluffton University's public relations director in 2007.
A decade and a half later, the five young men who lost their lives continue to be honored.
Cody Holp. Tyler Williams. Scott Harmon. Zach Arend. David Betts.
Family members say that the crash is still fresh in their minds.
"March 2 does not define my son Scott. He was a lot more than March 2 or what all that entailed," Julie Harmon said.
The crash and the legacy the 2007 team leaves behind is one that this community and university will remember forever.
And family members say despite all these years passing, it seems like it happened yesterday.
"We still feel the sting, we still go out to his gravesite, we still celebrate him as a family, but it just went by very, very fast," Tyler Williams' cousin, Aaron Williams, said.
But even though the five young men aren't here anymore, the university and community continue to keep their legacies alive. The Day of Remembrance Ceremony is part of the legacy.
"This is a way of remembering obviously, you can see that from the jerseys on the outfield fence and of course the cleat prints," Harmon said.
Emotions were high for the family members and everyone else who attended the 15th-anniversary ceremony.
"We carry this tragedy of 2007 with us every day," Bowlus said. "All of us that were here on campus then and remain and our alumni around the world. Obviously the 2007 team, every day this is something we don't forget."
The baseball team continues to talk about the crash to new players -- and students and staff have reminders of what happened scattered throughout the campus.
"It's somber, very somber. We're blessed to have a really good leader in coach Grandy. He does a great job of talking about it and sharing his memories about it, it's something that's very important to us," baseball graduate assistant, Brantley Curnutte, said.
As the university continues to remember, those who lost someone say this ceremony makes them feel the same support they felt all those years ago.
"I think we all hope we'll be remembered after we're gone, even for 10 minutes, let alone 15 years," Williams said. "So it's definitely great that they're doing this for the families to come together, to have a sense of connection, and to know that they were cared about and cared for all these years later."
Students and staff at the university say that even though a ceremony was held for the anniversary, remembering the crash and the 2007 baseball team is year-round in the community.