BALTIMORE — A former Orioles minor league player drowned last Sunday while trying to save several swimmers from a rip current in Pawleys Island, South Carolina.
Anderson Chase Childers was 38, leaving behind a wife and three young children.
Tributes poured in commending Childers for heroic bravery and sacrifice.
The Orioles signed Childers in 2009 out of Georgia State University, who described him as "one of the best all-around statistical four-year players in Panther history."
Childers went onto play second base in the rookie level Gulf Coast League before moving up to the Bluefield Orioles in 2010.
Over two professional seasons Childers appeared in 50 games, batting a combined .195 at the plate with 17 RBIs.
In 2011 Childers quit baseball to join the Cobb County Police Department in Georgia.
Before leaving the force in 2014, Childers earned a Life Saving Award.
In a Facebook post honoring Childers, the police department said this.
"We will never forget Officer Chase Childers. He represented the very best, and he will forever be part of our Cobb County Police family. Rest easy, Chase. Your courage will never be forgotten."
Following his death Childers' family launched a change.org petition seeking new safety measures at Litchfield Beach.
A GoFundMe page was also created to help raise money for his wife and children.
According to the Pawleys Island Police Department, at least four people have drowned since October.
Another young man died nearby after being pulled from the water on June 26.
