Big Shoes to Fill

Baseball brothers share strong bond, rivalry

by Caroline Easler

It’s the bottom of the seventh, two outs, runners on second and third. Jackson ‘The Dawg’ Childs (‘25) up to bat. Crack! The ball soars to left school”. Growing up the Childs brothers spent a lot of time arguing and learning how to be better through each other. field, the winning runs come in, and with a walk-off hit,Childs wins the game.

Since his T-ball days, Jackson has been on the diamond, lacing up in the shadow of his big brother Avery who graduated last year. Now with Avery gone to study business and marketing at Winthrop, Jackson is now stepping into the spotlight. A more serious temperament on and off the field, he plays outfield Avery is an amazing team “ for the Falcons.Friends leader and always inspired all of Jackson talk about his individual and confident of his teammates to be better personality. “Jacksons very intro- throughout the seasons. verted and enclosed before you meet him, then ” when he opens up, he is very sarcastic and funny,” said Zack Zolkos (‘25).

The funny thing about the brothers is their personalities are complete opposites. Teachers and friends of Avery talk about how much of an extrovert and talkative he is.

“He’s very social, and gets along with pretty much everyone,” said teammate Hunter Mac (‘24) “He’s talkative and was very inspirational in both sports and “Growing up we fought a lot, but baseball helped us bond,” Jackson said. Avery played for the Falcons throughout high school, as well as on a travel team. Being good at baseball only pushed Avery harder. By his junior year, Avery had perfected his best pitch. “Avery’s submarine pitch is one of his greatest strengths,” said head coach Jeff Stack. Being raised in a baseball environment only contributed to Jackson’s love for the game. “If my dad and Avery never brought me towards baseball, I would have probably continued playing soccer,” Jackson said. “They have had a huge impact on my baseball career.” Although they both share the love for baseball, Avery ended his baseball journey after playing in high school. “Jackson has more motivation and has the better chance of continuing his baseball career in college,” Mac says. After finally stepping into the spotlight Jackson has a heavy weight on his shoul-

Before a Fort Mill Post 43 club team game, Jackson and Avery Childs are ready for action in June of 2021 (Above) On the bench, Jackson and Avery Childs as youngsters wait for the game to start. The boys played together growing up and pushed each other to be

ders, only getting heavier as he continues to play baseball.

“Sometimes I have to live up to other people’s expectations–especially with us both playing outfield,” he said.Playing with Avery all of Jackson’s life has shown him what it means to be a real team player, and Jackson still thrives to become a player like Avery was.“He has good mental toughness and is one of the most hard working players I’ve ever seen,” Jackson said. While Avery had more experience playing for varsity, teammate Liam Quinn (‘24) believes Jackson has some advantages. “Jackson is faster than Avery, and Jackson’s stronger than Avery, mentally and physically just has much more motivation,” he says. On the baseball field teammates and coaches brag about Jackson’s attitude and motivation towards the game. “I like playing with Jackson more, because of his attitude, and he has much more confidence and motivation than Avery while playing,” says CJ Smith (‘25), a teammate of both boys. Jackson has a great attitude towards the game, but players say Avery’s leadership skills are unmatched. “Avery is an amazing team leader and always inspired all of his teammates to be better throughout the seasons,” said Zolkos.Off the baseball field, Jackson and Avery bond over more than baseball. “They have very similar tastes in everything that they do – baseball, golf, sports teams, etc. – so they find a lot of common ground with that, ” their mom Holly Childs said.While keeping it in the family, Jackson and Avery don’t plan on stopping baseball