Murphy – The second annual Peyton’s Home Run Derby for Peyton Mixon and family will start at 1 p.m. Saturday in Konehete Park.
Cash prizes will be awarded for first, second and third places to the players who hit the most home runs. Pre-registration is available through the Google form on the 2nd Annual Peyton’s Home Run Derby page. A $20 fee will be collected on the day of the event for those who register in advance, while people who register on the day of the event will pay a $25 fee.
The event this year will also feature a raffle, with items donated and curated for the event by the community. This year, the event will feature the national anthem being sung by Braden Rumfelt, a local American Idol contestant this season who has made it to the Hollywood round, and
local athletes Payton McCracken and Micah Nelson will be coming by to take a swing.
“We’re excited that Peyton will be there for the event this year,” said the hosts, Ralson Hogsed and Mason Lovingood.
The event will be family friendly fun, with music, snacks and refreshments hosted by a concession stand of littles. Feb. 28 is also World Rare Disease Day, which Hogsed and Lovingood picked with the intention to bring awareness about Peyton and the cause.
Hogsed and Lovingood were born just 6 months apart and have been best friends since they were babies. The now 12-year-old Lovingood came up with the idea to help cheer up his best friend, 11-year old Hogsed.
Hogsed’s first cousin, Peyton Claire Mixon, was born with GM1 Gangliosidosis, a rare, incurable genetic disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. This diagnosis hit Hogsed hard, and this didn’t go unnoticed by his best friend.
“I saw how sad Ralston was and how much was going on with Peyton being sick. I just wanted to do something to help and make him feel better, and came up with the idea for a home run derby,” Lovingood said. After sharing the idea with his parents and Hogsed, the boys began to organize and plan the event. They took the Major League Baseball concept of an annual home run derby and adjusted the event to include all ages in Cherokee County to help raise funds for Peyton and her family.
While the community, friends and families of the boys have been a major support system, the event has been planned and organized by Hogsed and Lovingood on their own, with minimal parental help. Their friends have worked as volunteers, they’ve used connections such as Payton McCracken and Micah Nelson to help gain athlete participation, and their love of baseball to bring the event together.
The families of the boys want to express how proud they are of them. Their efforts have shown how caring, committed and inspiring they’ve grown to be.
The year 2025 was the first time the boys hosted the Home Run Derby for Peyton, and it was a huge success. “We want to keep holding this event every year to help support Peyton, and we’ve learned so much from last year to help make this year even better,” Hogsed said. “We’ve made adjustments to fix the logo and have a better idea of how to host an event with so many people, including getting more volunteers.”
Last year, the event raised $10,500 with 150 participants. This year, their goal is to make $1,000 more and see even more people participate.
The boys are grateful to the community for another year of helping make this event happen.
“We’ve had so many people come together to donate food and money, act as sponsors for banners, flyers, social media and booths, and simply by praying for Peyton,” Hogsed said.
When asked how the community can continue to support the upcoming event, Lovingood added, “We just want everyone to come out and participate in the derby or simply come out and enjoy an event for the whole family.”
Details: Visit facebook.com/events/1602495374081051 or call Savannah Hardin at 828-557-9605.