ORANGEBURG, S.C. — The Orangeburg Dixie Youth All-Stars are preparing to play ball on their home field during the Dixie Youth Baseball tournament on Saturday.
"We found out that we were hosting the Dixie Youth State Tournament; we were ecstatic," said Shane Burroughs, Orangeburg Dixie Youth All-Stars' head coach. "However, we were also a little disappointed in the fact we didn't get to compete in the district because these players have played a lot of baseball. We want to show everyone that Orangeburg is a great place to live, work, and a place to visit. It's also a great place to grow up as a kid and have fun."
The City of Orangeburg was selected by South Carolina Dixie Youth Baseball to host this year's tournament. The superintendent of recreational services and marketing, Shawn Taylor, says having the state tourney here is the perfect opportunity to showcase the city's new $18 million facility.
"The City of Orangeburg built this facility to get in the business of sport tourism," explained Taylor. "To be able to land a state tournament was very exciting for us."
Orangeburg will welcome 26 teams from across our state. The baseball tournament was supposed to be in Orangeburg last year, but it was postponed due to COVID-19. Taylor hopes now it brings more revenue to the city.
"When you build these facilities, you look at, can you attract those dollars by coming in town to help our city grow," said Taylor.
As for the Orangeburg Dixie Youth All-Stars, they have one goal in mind.
"Our goal is to compete at a high level, to play the game the way it's supposed to be played, to play with class, and represent Orangeburg," Burroughs said. "If there is a scoreboard, our goal is to win it."