Military Dad Surprises Kids at Minor League Baseball Game by Posing as Catcher

The ceremonial first pitches of a North Carolina minor league baseball game ended with a surprise family reunion.

Returning home from a six-month deployment, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Lance Daigle disguised himself as the Carolina Mudcats catcher. His children, Cameron and Karley, had no idea until he removed his mask after they threw the ceremonial pitches.

According to ABC News' Katie Kindelan, Karley received a message about winning a contest on April Fools' Day. She didn't think it was real until Daigle confirmed entering the sweepstakes.

With encouragement from his wife, Emily, he had actually reached out to the Milwaukee Brewers' Single-A affiliate to plan the special moment.

"This could be my last deployment before I retire so she and one of her friends started to think about a surprise," Daigle said. "They thought of the Mudcats because we've been to games and they're big supporters of the military."

Per Kindelan, a Mudcats spokeswoman said it was "hard to see a dry eye" in the ballpark.

[ABC News]