The Jefferson City Renegades swing to victory while supporting their community.
What’s a more iconic summer activity for the family than heading to the local ballpark? Experiencing the crowds, the concessions, the thrill of supporting the home team at a game; there’s nothing like it. Baseball is an indelible part of American life.
In Mid-Missouri, the Jefferson City Renegades aren’t just a summer entertainment baseball team; they are a collegiate-level summer team playing in the MINK Baseball League and serving as a nonprofit organization.
“Coming out to the ballpark is a fun experience for the family, and it’s affordable,” says DeWayne Cartee, the current president of the Jefferson City Renegades board. “We also try to give back to the community because we know the community is important to us.”
Half of the team’s roster is made up of local talent, while the other half comes from all over the country. Most of these players are Division II or junior college students, but there have been a few Division I players.
“The college season ends before our season starts,” DeWayne explains. “It’s extra training, and the ones that come in from out of the area stay with host families, allowing the players to experience Mid-Missouri. The host families also get to know the players better.”
The Jefferson City Renegades put together three or more fundraisers throughout the year to help cover expenses for the team. So far, the team has hosted golf tournaments, raffles, trivia nights, and a pickleball tournament. But the fundraisers don’t just raise money for the team, they also support various local causes.
“During the COVID-19 year (2020), we started a celebrity softball game,” DeWayne explains. “The first year, we did it for the United Way COVID-19 relief. Part of the proceeds from the games, donations, and fundraisers go to the local organizations that we pick. This year, we’re partnering with Canines on the Front Line, and our goal is to raise enough money to pay for the training to give a veteran a dog, which is about $3,500.”
The Jefferson City Renegades also support the community in smaller ways, like donating to school fundraisers and other local charity events and organizations.
“We donate tickets to our games or a batting practice experience,” DeWayne says. “We also do raffles and 50/50 drawings at our games for different events, and we help the Jefferson City Host Lions Club with their big fundraisers. This year, we’re doing a Strikeout Cancer fundraiser for the first time.”
The Jefferson City Renegades even partner with local schools to award a student of the month.
“For all the kids that get nominated, we give them tickets to the game, and the kids that are recognized as student of the month get season tickets,” DeWayne says. “We do that with the public elementary schools and River Oaks Elementary.”
The Jefferson City Renegades don’t limit their community support to only schools and organizations. During their Bark in the Park night, they bring in dogs available for adoption. And throughout the year, any Little League team can come in before the game to hang out with the players; and during autograph nights, fans can talk and interact with the players.
“We’ve also had players go out to the Boys and Girls Club to interact with the kids there; they’ve gone to the library to read to kids, and they’ve gone out to Special Olympics when they had their camps and played with the athletes,” DeWayne adds.
Run by an all-volunteer board, the Jefferson City Renegades is a labor of love for the people involved. DeWayne himself started as a simple fan with season tickets until he started attending board meetings. His wife, Michelle, runs the Renegade Brigade, their version of boosters; and his daughter, Ashley, has even become involved in the organization.
All games are family friendly with activities for kids, but they also serve alcohol for adults. Kids’ activities include things like hula hoop contests, sack races, and water balloon tosses so that kids can get more involved on game nights, rather than just sitting in the stands and begging for snacks.
“And when kids go get the foul balls and bring them back to us, they’ll get a prize like a game ticket, baseball cards, or things from the concession stand,” DeWayne explains.
For more information about the Jefferson City Renegades and a calendar that lists all of their upcoming games and events, visit their website at jeffcityrenegades.com. Anyone who would like to support the Jefferson City Renegades can join the Renegade Brigade, make a donation to the team, or gather a group of family and friends to catch a home game at Vivion Field.