With sirens blaring from a police escort, cheers from a crowd of friends and family, and a stream of water raining down on them from a nearby fire engine, the Fort Mill All-Star Coach Pitch Team departed Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021, on their way to the Dixie Youth Baseball World Series in Laurel, Mississippi which began Aug. 7.
The Fort Mill Parks & Recreation baseball team, led by Coach Ryan Smith and made up of 7 and 8-year-old players, has been in the spotlight the last few weeks after sweeping their district and going 6-0 in the state tournament in Orangeburg earlier this month! They were recently recognized by Fort Mill Town Council with a proclamation for their hard work and a spray of confetti. The team includes Brady Childers (#24), Calvin Krantz (#44), Chase Smith (#13), Clay Swenson (#10), Easton Nesteruk (#25), Ethan Rodriguez (#21), Graham Mattox (#5), Gordon Owino (#22), Henry Herchek (#12), Ishaan Alluri (#23), Jace Griffin (#7), and Tyler Teaver (#11). The coaching staff also includes assistant coaches Jad Griffin, Kevin Nesteruk and Chris Mattox.
Thursday’s celebration featured words of encouragement from the team’s coach, a prayer circle formed by the crowd of well-wishers, and a guest appearance by Homer, the Charlotte Knights mascot. Each team member had their moment to shine as they stepped off the bus and introduced themselves in a cloud of smoke! The team then headed off to the World Series in a caravan led by several local law enforcement officers and emergency personnel.
The Town of Fort Mill wishes the team well at the World Series! Check out the video below from the team's send-off.