The Charleston RiverDogs, in partnership with Boeing, will induct retired United States Marine Corps Major General Mike Regner and Revolutionary War hero Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens into the Hall of Honor during a pregame ceremony on Tuesday, August 4, at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. The induction ceremony will take place prior to the RiverDogs' game against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.
The Hall of Honor, established in 2020 by the RiverDogs and Boeing, serves as a permanent recognition of distinguished military servicemen and women with ties to the Lowcountry. The August 4 ceremony marks the final Hall of Honor induction event of the 2026 season.
Major General Mike Regner, a 1976 graduate of The Citadel, will be the first inductee honored during the ceremony. Regner retired from the United States Marine Corps in 2016 following a distinguished 40-year military career and later served as a Senior Mentor to the U.S. Armed Forces through 2023.
Throughout his career, Regner completed deployments to Bosnia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Somalia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan while serving in numerous leadership roles.
Since retiring from active duty, he has remained deeply engaged in the Charleston community through service with organizations including the Hibernian Society of Charleston, the Congressional Medal of Honor Center for Leadership, the Washington Light Infantry Society, The Citadel Distinguished Alumni Committee, The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame, the Marine Corps League, the Knights of Columbus and the Stella Maris Men's Club.
As part of the 2026 Hall of Honor program, the RiverDogs partnered with SC250 to commemorate America's 250th birthday. During each Hall of Honor ceremony this season, one inductee has been a South Carolina Revolutionary War figure whose contributions helped shape the nation's founding.
The third and final Revolutionary War inductee this season is Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, one of South Carolina's most influential young leaders during the American Revolution.
Born in Charleston in 1754, Laurens left his law studies in England to return home and join the fight for American independence. Serving as an aide-de-camp to General George Washington, he earned a reputation as one of the Continental Army's bravest officers, fighting with distinction at the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth and Rhode Island.
Beyond his battlefield leadership, Laurens played a critical diplomatic role in the Revolutionary War. After being captured when Charleston fell in 1780, he was later released and sent to France, where he helped secure vital French loans, arms and naval support that proved instrumental in the American victory at Yorktown.
Laurens also championed the groundbreaking proposal to raise a regiment of formerly enslaved men to fight for both their freedom and American independence, though the plan was ultimately rejected. He returned to South Carolina following Yorktown and was killed at the Battle of the Combahee River on August 27, 1782, only weeks before the British evacuated Charleston and months before the war officially ended.
More than a dozen descendants of Laurens will participate in the ceremony and be recognized during the induction.
The Hall of Honor ceremony will also welcome several previous inductees and military leaders from across the Lowcountry, including representatives from Joint Base Charleston.
The induction ceremony will take place prior to the RiverDogs' game against the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
For tickets and additional information, visit RiverDogs.com.
Current Members of the Charleston RiverDogs and Boeing Hall of Honor:
Class of 2020: Major General James Livingston, Senior Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, Private First Class Ralph H. Johnson, Specialist David Arias
Class of 2021: Brigadier General Thomas Mikolajcik, Chief William Tetrev, Master Sergeant Tom Crawford, Major Angie Powers
Class of 2022: Secretary William F. Grimsley, Lieutenant Colonel Bill Walsh, Master Sergeant Eddie Negrón, Colonel Marc E. Greene, Major Ed Murphy, Colonel Gregory H. Kitchens
Class of 2023: Lieutenant Brooke Jackson Kahn, Colonel Judi Hughes, Major General Todd B. McCaffrey, Colonel Alex Pelbath, Colonel Grant Izzi, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Langevin
Class of 2024: Captain Phil Palmer, Colonel John F. Robinson, Lieutenant General Robert G. Thompson, Lieutenant Colonel Larry Dandridge, Tommy Baker, Colonel CJ Williams
Class of 2025: Chaplain John Painter, Colonel Michael Freeman, Captain Ron Plunkett, Sergeant Roy (JR) Brown, Vice Admiral Michael McAllister, Colonel Joe Trez
Class of 2026: Master Chief Johnnie Nash, Major General William Moultrie, Rear Admiral George E. Bresnihan, Brigadier General Francis Marion, Major General Mike Regner, Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens