The Columbia Blowfish Baseball Team is trying to help Kershaw County elementary schools make a home run.
Blowie, the Carolina Plain League franchise’s  mascot, visited Camden’s Jackson Elementary School to share the unique opportunity students have to read for baseball tickets.
Each student is presented with a bookmark, sponsored by South Carolina Bank and Trust, where they can track their reading. Students are encouraged to read at least one book, first base, to earn two tickets to a game; two books to receive four tickets, three tickets gets students a spot in the pre-game parade, and four tickets, considered a home run, gets students four free tickets, a spot in the parade, and one free hotdog and Pepsi combo.
The Blowfish Reading Program started two years ago said Assistant Executive Director Kelly Evans. The school initiative has helped increase participation at Blowfish games.
“This is my program and I take a lot of pride in it,” Evans said.
Blowie has given South Carolina students more than 5,000 tickets to a Blowfish baseball game through encouraging students to read.
Evans is in the process of trying to expand the program to suite middle school-aged children.
There are 50 South Carolina schools scheduled to participate in the program this year, Evans said. The school with the most participants receives $500 toward the purchase of library books.
Thursday, May 31 is the night to redeem tickets for Kershaw County schools.