Former Rebel Mike Mayers Inspires Oxford Chargers at First Pitch Banquet

The Oxford Charger baseball team is ready to dust off their cleats and start the 2018 season. Prior to the team hitting the diamond of Edwin Moak for practice Monday, the team held its second annual First Pitch banquet Sunday at the high school.
“I think it is a neat way to kick off the season,” Oxford head baseball coach Chris Baughman said. “It’s also a cool way for the community to see our guys out of uniform. I think it’s more important for our kids to see the support they receive from the community.”
Saint Louis Cardinal and former Ole Miss Rebel pitcher Mike Mayers came and spoke to everyone in attendance about his journey of becoming a professional ballplayer.
Mayers came to Ole Miss in 2010 from Grove City, Ohio. During his time in a Rebel uniform, he posted a 6-3 record with a 3.50 ERA as he allowed 41 runs – 36 earned – on 75 hits in 92.2 innings.
Although he is known for his work on the mound, he got started pitching late in little league.
“I did not pitch until I was 12 years old,” Mayers said.
In high school, Mayers played football, basketball and baseball.
“Playing as many sports as you can can be very beneficial moving up to the next level, no matter what sport that may be,” Mayers told the audience.
Mayers got drafted in the third round by the Saint Louis Cardinals organization in 2013, and in 2015, he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in his arm that almost cost him his career. In 2016, he got the call everyone wants. He was called up to the major leagues and on July 24, Mayers made his debut against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“I hope that our players see that success isn’t granted. Success isn’t given to you. It’s earned,” Baughman said. “So much of our society is about having things given to you, but both of these guys speaking at these two banquets talked about how hard they had worked. They talked about playing multiple sports and putting their head down and going to work each and every day.”
This season, Oxford is hoping for a fourth-straight state championship series run. Over the past three seasons, the Chargers have played in the state championship finals with two state wins.
“We cherish that opportunity and that we can get back there again,” Baughman said. “More importantly, we measure ourselves on getting our seniors graduated and making all of our kids better baseball players and people.”

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Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.