The Charleston RiverDogs honored longtime partner Sysco as the recipient of the T. Ashton Phillips Award before Tuesday’s game at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park, recognizing the major steps Sysco and the RiverDogs took together this year to make a positive impact on the community.
Named in honor of longtime RiverDogs owner T. Ashton Phillips, father of current RiverDogs partner Al Phillips, the award recognizes a community partner that has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to service and helped the RiverDogs extend its impact beyond the ballpark.
This year, that commitment is reflected through Sysco’s brand new Behind the Plate partnership with the RiverDogs, which spotlights and supports the Charleston hospitality industry.
“Sysco has been such a tremendous partner to the RiverDogs and to the Charleston community, and the T. Ashton Phillips Award is a fitting way to recognize the impact they have made,” said Dave Echols, RiverDogs President and General Manager. “From supporting the people who make Charleston’s hospitality industry so special to helping put food on the tables of local families, Sysco has consistently demonstrated what it means to be a great community partner.”
The Behind the Plate initiative, launched by the RiverDogs and Sysco this season, was created to celebrate and support the people who power Charleston’s food, beverage and hospitality industries. The program includes the Behind the Plate Club, industry-focused events at the ballpark, Chef Spotlights and opportunities for hospitality employees to gather and enjoy a night at the ballpark together.
The partnership also extends into the community through Sysco’s sponsorship of the RiverDogs catcher. For every hit recorded by a RiverDogs catcher, who plays behind the plate, during every home game, Sysco pledged to donate 10 meals to the Lowcountry Food Bank, helping provide food to local families in need.
Throughout the season, RiverDogs catchers recorded 67 hits, resulting in a donation representing 670
The donation is one of several ways Sysco and the RiverDogs have worked together to make an impact in the community. Through the partnership, Sysco has also supported Camp Happy Days, which provides programs and services to children with cancer and their families, including helping serve lunch to campers. Sysco and the RiverDogs have also joined forces through the RiverDogs Food Truck to help feed members of the community at local events.
Beyond its charitable efforts, the Behind the Plate initiative has created opportunities for members of Charleston’s food and beverage industry to connect and build camaraderie with one another, recognizing the people who work behind the scenes and behind the plate to make the city’s hospitality industry thrive.
For the RiverDogs, the award represents more than a recognition of a successful partnership. It celebrates a shared belief that the ballpark can be a place where the community comes together – not only to enjoy a game, but also to support one another.
Past Winners:
2025 - The Citadel Athletic Department
2024 - The Marino Family
2023 - REV Federal Credit Union
2022 - Joint Base Charleston
2021 - MUSC
2019 - The Boeing Company
2018 - Southern Eagle Distributing
2017 - Bill Lamson-Scribner
2016 - Agustus Holt
2015 - Mickey Bakst
2014 - Larry Lipov
2013 - Piggly Wiggly
2012 - Tommy McQueeney State Farm
2011 - Al and Barbara Bradham
2010 - Pat Reddick
2009 - Ken and Allyson Carrington
2008 - The Citadel
2007 - Charleston Fire Department
2006 - Phillips Family
Let Freedom Bark
After clinching the Carolina League South first half title, the RiverDogs have secured a spot in the 2026 postseason, presented by Nucor Steel Berkeley. The best-of-three Division Series begins on Tuesday, September 8 in Hickory. Thanks to their first-half division title, the RiverDogs are guaranteed to host Game 2, and, if necessary, Game 3, at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park on September 10 and 11.
Single-game postseason tickets are on sale now. For more information, visit RiverDogs.com.