Carolina Braves recover from ‘mysterious disappearance’ of travel money

INMAN, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – The 12-and-under Carolina Braves baseball team fundraised for months to end their season at a weeklong tournament in Tennessee, when they received news they never could’ve expected.

“The week came that we needed to pay for that trip, and we found out that the funds that we raised had mysteriously disappeared,” Carolina Braves mother Ashley Newcomer said.

The Braves accused their now former head coach of stealing the team’s nearly $10,000 they had raised for the trip. They opened an investigation with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office into ‘mismanagement of funds.’

“I was just shocked,” Braves player Cole Wilson said. “It felt like all our hard work, nothing happened with it. And it didn’t pay off, and we had to restart.”

The players got a new coach while adopting a new mindset.

“Even with this setback, just keeping our heads held high and that’ll keep us in good spirits,” Braves player Zander Glover said. “When we’re in good spirits, we win ballgames.”

In Anderson over the weekend, the team won the first tournament it entered since the missing money.

Now they’re hoping to recoup that money for a season finale in Tennessee.

“Team bonding, and working together, talking more,” Braves player Brent Newcomer said of the team coming together since the incident. “We’ve started texting in the group chat way more than we used to.”

One player sent a special text to assistant coach Kevin Newcomer, which showed how the boys have grown.

“One of the texts was even, ‘we forgive him. Maybe a circumstance came up and he needed it more than we did,’” Kevin Newcomer said. “These kids have learned forgiveness and resilience and to know that they can come through. It’s something special. They have something special.”

The Upstate community has turned out to help the special season continue.

“It’s super touching to know that there are still great people out there that support kids and support their dreams,” Ashley Newcomer said. “Our kids have seen that they matter and that’s been super empowering for our boys.”

So far, the Carolina Braves have re-raised just over $5,000 of their $8,500 goal for their weeklong Tennessee tournament.

Ashley Newcomer said even if they don’t raise the full amount on their GoFundMe page, the parents will pay the difference because their boys deserve the season finale.

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