The Charleston RiverDogs will once again host a charity softball game featuring former Major League Baseball players in mid-June at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. For the 2024 version of the contest, the team has added an influx of recognizable names with extensive big league careers. The Legends in the South game presented by The Marino Family will take place on Friday, June 14th at 7 pm.
Former MLB standouts John Rocker, Orlando Hudson, Pokey Reese and Tyler Thornburg have all been added to the game’s rosters. Former RiverDogs Toby Hall, Elliot Johnson and R.J. Swindle, who each suited up for the team between 1998 and 2006 will also play in the contest. In addition, the game will feature several familiar faces to Charleston natives. Asher Wojciechowski and Chip Cannon, former stars at The Citadel, will be joined on the field by former Charleston Southern University product Chris Singleton.
In addition to Rocker and Thornburg, several former Atlanta Braves will also be in attendance, headlined by Ryan Klesko. The first baseman played the first eight years of his career in Atlanta, before being selected for the all-star game with San Diego in 2001. Other former Braves include Michael Kohn, Mark Wohlers, Pete Smith, Mike Bielecki, Kris Medlen and Otis Nixon.
Similar to last year, the players will be split up regardless of their Major League affiliation and play for either Team Charleston or Team RiverDogs. Gates will open at 5:00 pm for a pre-game fan fest featuring player autographs.
The RiverDogs and MUSC will host an online auction leading up to the event featuring memorabilia and the chance to appear in the game. There will also be an auction in the ballpark on the night of the event for unique in-game experiences, including the opportunity to serve as a bat boy. The Legends experience will once again be capped off with post-game fireworks, presented by First National Bank. All tickets are $10 and seating is general admission. A portion of the night’s proceeds will benefit the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital.
"We are really looking forward to this year’s Legends in the South Game,” said RiverDogs President and General Manager Dave Echols. “The addition of several big names has brought a new level of excitement to the event. It presents a unique opportunity for fans to interact with some of their favorite players from years past.”
Rocker headlines the list of new players taking part in the exhibition. The reliever burst onto the scene in 1998 and became one of the most dominant closers in the game the next season when he recorded 38 saves and struck out 104 batters in 72.1 innings. He continued to be a standout in the Braves bullpen until the 2001 season, during which he was traded to Cleveland. The left-hander closed out his six-year MLB career by pitching for Texas and Tampa Bay.
Hudson hails from Darlington, SC and enjoyed 11 years at the sport’s highest level with six different clubs. Despite being selected in the 43rd round of the 1997 MLB Draft, Hudson made his big league debut with Toronto at the age of 24. He won his first Gold Glove at second base with the Blue Jays in 2005 but was traded to Arizona that offseason. He would also take home Gold Glove honors in his first two seasons with the Diamondbacks, stretching his streak to three straight years of stellar defense. Hudson represented Arizona in the 2007 all-star game and, two years later, did the same with the Los Angeles Dodgers while claiming his fourth Gold Glove award.
Reese, a native of Columbia, SC, was a first-round pick by the Cincinnati Reds in the 1991 draft. He won consecutive Gold Gloves at second base for the Reds in the 1999 and 200 0 campaigns. Reese stole 144 bases in an eight-year career that also featured stops in Pittsburgh and Boston.
The 35-year-old Thornburg was pitching in MLB games as recently as 2022. The former Charleston Southern University star was selected in the third round of the 2010 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Making his big league debut in 2012, Thornburg became one of the most dominant relievers in the game during the 2016 season. Working as Milwaukee’s set-up man, he went 8-5 with a 2.15 ERA and set a franchise record for a reliever by retiring 26 consecutive hitters without allowing a baserunner. He was traded to Boston in December of that year, dealing with arm injuries shortly thereafter. The right-hander also pitched for Cincinnati, Atlanta and Minnesota before retiring.
Tickets are now available online and can be purchased here.
