RECOGNITION

Leo Redmond said he remembered the 1964 Cayce Dixie Youth Little League World Series championship team.

“All of us over here in Cayce were proud,” Redmond said. “There were signs all over the place. They stayed up for years.”

That championship team was honored in a ceremony at the Cayce Historical Museum this past Friday. There will be an exhibit, paying tribute to the team.

Redmond, the former director of the Cayce Historical Museum, said the Cayce champions motivated many young boys to play baseball, including his son Alan Redmond.

Cayce Mayor Elise Partin said the championship team was a gift to the City of Cayce.

“If they can be champions, it shows it can be done,” said Partin.

She then referenced the 2019 Cayce-West Columbia Dixie Youth Baseball team that won the Division 2 Ozone State Championship in July, and went to the DYB World Series in Rustin, La.

Glen Cully, a 1964 team member who lives in West Columbia, said he followed the progress of that team.

The 1964 Cayce roster included Glen Cully, Delmar Faust, Stump Gaddy, Russel Dixon, Freddy Stone, Randy Stewart, Tommy Mack, Neal Cockrell, Jimmy Chavis, Tommy Grant, Harold Knotts, Jimmy Higgins, former University of South Carolina pitcher Earl Bass, John Coward, Terry Harper, Rusty Wright and Coaches Fritz Steel and James Knotts.

Six of the players have passed away. This past Friday was their first time getting back together in the past 55 years.

Joe Pinner honored the team upon their return to Cayce as the World Champions on The Mr. Knozit Show in 1964. He introduced the surviving players at the ceremony.

The Play Ball initiative was also introduced to Cayce this past Friday.

Major League Baseball and the United States Conference of Mayors launched the Play Ball initiative. It focuses on the sport of baseball and encourages sustained participation in the sport for years to come.

Play Ball serves as a platform to connect with those who are currently involved in the game, while also providing alternative ways for those looking to get involved, with a specific focus on the youth.