Before their Tuesday (4/4) baseball game against Tarboro, the Riverside Knights took a moment to celebrate one of the most memorable baseball players to play on this very field - Williamston High School alum Butch Davis.
In his honor, the Knights took to the field in throwback green and gold, the colors of Davis’ day on the field. Davis’ WHS baseball coaches, Dink Mills and Harold Robinson, were in attendance, along with some of his former teammates and family members.
On behalf of town officials, Williamston Mayor Joyce Whichard-Brown stopped by to present a proclamation honoring Davis.
Riverside went on to take out Tarboro 17-0.
Click here for photos from the event!
WCTI 12 came by. Here's their story.
In case you missed it, here’s what was read about Davis during the pre-game celebration.
Wallace McArthur Davis, known to most as Butch, got his first taste of baseball in Williamston’s Little League Program on a team called the Cops.
This multi-sport athlete’s path to the Williamston High School baseball program was not a direct one, but when his opportunity came, Butch showed the coaches just what he could do on the field and at bat. This included helping his team to back-to-back state championships in 1975 and 1976.
Davis is humble when describing his own playing time. Others described Davis as the one you wanted at bat when the Williamston Tigers needed a hit.
Butch took his talents to St. Augustine College for a year before moving to East Carolina University to play for Coach Monte Little. As a senior in 1980, he led the Pirates in all triple-crown categories: Batting Average, Home Runs, and RBIs.
In 2008, this Williamston Tiger was inducted into the East Carolina University Athletics Hall of Fame.
His strong work ethic remained in place, and before he knew it, the Kansas City Royals had their eyes on the young man from Williamston. After completing college, Butch was selected in the 11th round of the 1980 Major League Baseball draft.
For a brief time, Davis was one of two Williamston High School tigers on the Kansas City Royals roster. The other was a pitcher by the name of Gaylord Perry.
Butch played through the 1994 season before transitioning to the role of coach. And there was a brief acting career with appearances in the movie Bull Durham.