Former pro baseball player Chase Childers dies trying to save swimmers off South Carolina

A former professional baseball player and father of three died while trying to save swimmers from a rip current off the coast of South Carolina on Sunday, authorities said. 

Chase Childers, who was briefly signed by the Baltimore Orioles, entered the water around 4:45 p.m. to help a group of four or five swimmers as they struggled against the current off Pawleys Island, a coastal town roughly 45 minutes south of Myrtle Beach by car, according to the Pawleys Island Police Department.

“He died trying to save others,” the police department said of Childers, who had gone into the ocean with another person. 

Childers was the only swimmer missing when authorities arrived at the scene, according to police. Around 6:15 p.m., after a search by officers, fire officials and members of the U.S. Coast Guard, his body was recovered.

Childers was a Major League Baseball player drafted to the Baltimore Orioles in 2009, according to the league. He went on to play minor league baseball before later serving for several years as a police officer in Cobb County, Georgia, according to a GoFundMe campaign created to support Childers’ family.

Rip currents are powerful channels of water that flow rapidly and are often seen along all coasts of the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration writes on its website, noting that these currents can move at speeds of up to 8 feet per second. 

Swimmers risk drowning when they fight against rip currents while trying to return to shore, according to NOAA. The National Weather Service warns that they are the deadliest and most common hazard swimmers face in waters off North and South Carolina.

“The Town is saddened by the report of the drowning over the weekend. We pray for the family members and offer our condolences,” wrote Pawleys Island Mayor Brian Henry in a social media post, acknowledging reports that suggested a rip current caused the drowning. 

He said the town “urges caution when entering the water at any time and alertness of the ocean’s currents, particularly during high surf.” A town council in Pawleys Island will evaluate ways to reduce the risks of future drownings, including by educating tourists about rip currents and the potential threats they pose, Henry added.

“While Pawleys Island beaches are consistently rated as some of the best on the entire East Coast, we would like them to be known as the safest as well,” he added.