FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
Gulfport, Mississippi – Port of Gulfport employee Cy Rushing has been playing baseball since he was 4 and always dreamed of playing professionally. Now, he’ll finally get his chance.
In January, Rushing got a call about playing for the Dublin Leprechauns in San Francisco. He starts spring training on May 11 in San Diego, and the three-month season begins May 26. He will play first base but also will serve as a utility player on the team.
“I feel like it really won’t sink in until I get there,” he said, adding that his favorite player is Derek Jeter. His goal is to play first base for the New York Yankees.
Rushing grew up in Carthage, Mississippi, the youngest son of Sonya and Leroy Rushing. His brothers played football for Division I schools, but baseball has always been Cy’s favorite sport.
“I was the baby boy, so they wouldn’t let me play football,” he said, laughing.
Rushing was named after his father but got the nickname “Cy” when he was 8, after baseball great Cy Young.
“My father wouldn’t play baseball with me one day because they were giving out the Cy Young award,” Rushing recalled. “I insisted, so he said he was going to call me Cy.”
Rushing graduated from Leake Central High School and attended East Central Community College, Jackson State University and Southeastern Baptist College. He graduated in 2023 with a degree in sports management and a minor in business.
Rushing joined the military, and before he went into active duty, he began receiving calls from professional baseball teams. He still has three months to serve in the Marines once the season is over.
“The military is a big deal in my life,” Rushing said. “I love being in the Marine Corps and the brotherhood we made. I feel a similar brotherhood in baseball, but the Marine Corps will be for life because we are fighting for the greater good of our country. It just means a little more to me.”
The only thing Rushing isn’t looking forward to is leaving his daughter, Na’Lani Rushing, and her mother, Ashlyn Bunch.
“Leaving my baby girl behind for three months is hard,” he said. “Her first birthday is June 24, and I want to come back for it. I love her so much and want to give her the world.”
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