How I Go Columbia: Columbia Fireflies’ Dash Winningham

If you gazed up the first-base line at Spirit Communications Park last season, odds are you spotted 21-year-old Columbia Fireflies player Dash Winningham.

The New York Mets selected the Ocala, Florida, native in the eighth round of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Winningham spent two seasons with Mets rookie level affiliates before making his full-season debut in Columbia in 2016. The lefty appeared in 125 games (a team high) and paced the club with 12 home runs and 69 RBIs.

Winningham landed on the Mets’ radar after he smacked 23 home runs at Trinity Catholic High School in Ocala and led the Celtics to their first state title in school history.

Winningham and his Fireflies teammates will take the field for their 2017 season on Thursday, April 6 at Spirit Communications Park. The team will play the Augusta Greenjackets in the season’s series opener.

EAT

I would say my go-to place is Groucho’s. They have great subs. My favorite is the Apollo. It has their secret sauce they use, which is amazing to dip your sub or chips in.

DRINK

I’m a fan of smoothies, and Tropical Smoothie near the university is the place to go. They have great fruit and protein smoothies. My favorite is the peanut butter cup.

SEE

There are many places around Columbia where I enjoy going to see a view. My favorite so far is lunch on the Congaree River. It’s a perfect place to go and spend some of the afternoon with your girlfriend and have lunch. I get to see a great view of the city, and I even jump on the rocks afterward.

LISTEN

My favorite radio station is 97.5 WCOS. It’s the best country station around Columbia. I’ve also heard great things about the Music Farm and plan to get there for a concert soon.

PLAY

I would honestly say Fireflies baseball is my favorite way to play in Columbia. As players, we try to give our fans what they want and just play the game hard. It’s always a good time. Going to Gamecock baseball and football games is exciting, too. This off-season, I went to two football games, and they both were a lot fun, especially “Sandstorm.” That was really cool.

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This story was originally published April 5, 2017 at 2:30 PM with the headline "How I Go Columbia: Columbia Fireflies’ Dash Winningham."