An 11-year-old went into cardiac arrest after being hit in the chest by baseball during a little league game in Colonie. Innae Park has more.

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COLONIE, N.Y. -- An 11-year-old Colonie Little League player goes into cardiac arrest Monday night after a baseball strikes him hard, right in the chest. Thanks to the quick response from coaches, staff and emergency crews, the boy got to Albany Medical Center in time.

His father, Mark Mendrick, said, "If it wasn't for the first responders, the coaching staff... my son would've died right there at home plate."

Frank Kasper says he's been attending Little League games for years, and he has never seen an incident like this. "It was awful. It was amazing. I'll never forget it as long as I live," Kasper said.

Frank Prevratil is the President of the Colonie Little League, and he explained every supervisor there was equipped to deal with a situation like this.

“We were completely prepared for this. We didn't expect that we were ever going to have to do this,” he said. “[But] we were completely prepared because the Little League mandates coaches to go through a safety training once every year where they cover everything from bee stings to exactly what happened here last night.”

Volunteers and coaches were able to keep the child breathing almost to the time EMS and police arrived, so an AED was not used.

Mendrick says his son is continuing to recover.

"I just want to thank the coaches from Colonie Little League, the first responders who showed up, the support we've gotten from the entire village of Colonie and the town of Colonie. and all the Little League organizations across the country, we've gotten emails, and 'we're praying for you.'"

While it's being described as a 'freak accident,' officials say it's time to consider what parents can do to keep your child as safe as possible.

One suggestion from Prevratil is, "They have everything from shirt pads, slide pads, leg pads... all considered undergarment wear."

However, Prevratil says it is the parent's decision on how to keep their child safe.

As for Mendrick's son, he says he'll be back playing as soon as he's fully healthy.