Discover the Inspiring Journey of South Carolina Baseball’s Championship Success in "In Spirit

As the 15-year anniversary approaches, SEC fans can delve into the story of the South Carolina Gamecocks’ baseball team as they won back-to-back national championships in 2010 and 2011, with two special teammates by their side and in their hearts. The film – SEC Storied: “In Spirit” – directed by Marc Kinderman, debuts Wed., May 14 at 7 p.m. ET on SEC Network.   

Former Gamecock head coach Ray Tanner made it a point each season to have his players visit hospitalized children throughout the year. In what could just be a moment to “check a box,” these players created incredibly genuine bonds with the children they were visiting.

Two boys in particular, Charlie Peters and Bayler Teal – both undergoing cancer treatment, became the heart and soul of the team as they battled through the trials of those championship seasons.

“In Spirit is a story of bravery in the face of overwhelming challenges, framed by the Gamecocks’ back-to-back Men’s College World Series championships,” said director Marc Kinderman. “It was an eye-opening experience to see the power of family and team, both bound by blood and sport.”

During their extraordinary championship run, the South Carolina baseball team faced numerous ups and downs. Yet, the strength and Gamecock spirit that both Charlie and Bayler possessed was enough to make the tough obstacles fade away and the impossible seem possible.

“In Spirit is a film that depicts arguably the greatest era in college baseball history and does so through the eyes of two little boys whose lives were forever impacted by this group of quirky college athletes and great coaches,” said producer Jake Williams. “This film showcases the magnificent connection between baseball and life, portraying the great impact athletes and sports teams can have on people of all ages.”

In Spirit takes viewers on a journey about how two young boys taught the team to never give up.

Director Bio For over 25 years, Marc Kinderman has been telling stories for ESPN and others in and out of the sports world. After graduating from Syracuse in 1993, Marc joined ESPN, working for ESPN's SportsCenter, the Emmy and Peabody award winning SportsCentury project, and ESPN Original Entertainment – producing shows on the 40th Anniversary of the Super Bowl (2006), Muhammad Ali (2007), and The Greatest Game Ever Played, the 1958 classic between the Colts and Giants (2008). With Scott Henry, Orange Lion Productions has produced series for A&E Biography (Bill Graham, Deborah Harry and Pat Benatar), Versus (Soul of a Champion), USA Today/Mojo (A Shot at Glory), NHL Network (Voices, A Day in the Life), and the Big Ten Network (Big Ten Elite, Forever B1G, and most recently, The B1G Moment). The B1G Moment was honored with a Cynopsis Award for Best New Sports Show in April 2021. Orange Lion also produced ESPN's 40, a series of first-person stories on ESPN's history, in 2019. Marc also produced features for CNBC on the rise of the UFC, the success of the New England Patriots, and New Orleans businesses re-emerging from Hurricane Katrina. Marc’s last projects for ESPN prior to In Spirit were 2021's SEC Storied, Hold the Rope, on the life of LSU baseball coach Skip Bertman, and the 2016 30 for 30 short on LSU’s Rudy Macklin, No Kin to Me, which was expanded into a half-hour SEC Storied in 2019. 

Producer BioJake Williams is a filmmaker based in Greenville, S.C. with passions running from sports to music to holistic health and anything that captures the human condition. Jake's production company, 37 Pictures, aims to tell stories in this vein and to bring to the screen films that impact the viewer in profound ways. As an artist, Jake loves filmmaking as it merges all the artistic modalities into one great form. During his playing days, Jake was an All-American outfielder, a two-time National Champion and coached/played baseball professionally in Europe for a stretch. Jake continues to coach kids of all ages, highlighted by every player from his last summer ball team, now playing some level of college baseball. 

About SEC NetworkThe Southeastern Conference and ESPN launched SEC Network on August 14, 2014. The network televises hundreds of games across the SEC’s 21 sports annually. Programming includes in-depth analysis and storytelling in studio shows such as SEC Nation, Marty & McGee, Out Of Pocket, Read & React and Rally Cap, daily news and information with The Paul Finebaum Show and SEC Now, original content such as the Emmy Award-winning TrueSouth, SEC Storied and SEC Inside, and more. Hundreds of additional live events are available for streaming exclusively on SEC Network’s digital companion, SEC Network+, via the ESPN App and SECNetwork.com. Follow SEC Network on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and Twitter/X.