Donations pour in for former Clemson baseball player after cancer diagnosis
Tyler Corbitt’s baseball career has taken him all over South Carolina.
Now, his family is getting support and donations from every corner of the Palmetto State after announcing that Corbitt, 25, had been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Corbitt, who was born in Lexington, was an all-state player at Airport High School in West Columbia and played five years of college baseball at The Citadel and Clemson from 2019-23.
But Corbitt’s life “changed overnight” when he was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer earlier this month, according to a July 16 GoFundMe created by his older sister Casey. She wrote that the days ahead will be “filled with treatments, hospital visits and uncertainty” for the family.
Supporters from all over have stepped up to lighten the load.
The Corbitt family’s initial funding goal was $50,000 to help cover medical bills, travel and other expenses for Tyler’s cancer battle. After their GoFundMe was posted online late last week, they quickly met that goal and have since updated it twice.
As of July 21, 962 people had donated a combined $97,396 to help the Corbitts.
“We are so overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and support,” Casey Corbitt wrote on Facebook July 17. “Y’all have no idea how much it means to all of us and especially Tyler! Please don’t stop! Keep it up! We love y’all!”
The Citadel and Clemson, Corbitt’s two college baseball stops, both shared his GoFundMe link on social media and said they were keeping him in their thoughts. Airport baseball’s X page also changed its profile picture to a picture of Corbitt with the words #TylerStrong on it.
Caden Grice, Corbitt’s Clemson teammate, has the largest public donation among nearly 1,000 donors to the family’s GoFundMe. Grice, who is currently playing in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ minor league system, donated $5,000.
Monte Lee, Corbitt’s coach at Clemson in 2022 and a current assistant at South Carolina, also donated, as did over a dozen current and former Clemson players.
“Please help a tremendous young man who is in the fight of his life. Tyler is everything you could ask for in a student athlete. He needs our help!” Lee wrote.
Casey Corbitt said her brother has faced his diagnosis “with incredible strength and he’s staying tough through it all and never losing his spirit or sense of humor.”
Tyler Corbitt recently posted a TikTok from his hospital bed making light of his situation. In the video, he joked about how unexpected it was for him to go to the doctor for back pain and instead learn he had two fractured vertebrae and lung cancer. He also thanked donors on his personal Facebook page.
“Thank yall so much for all the love and support over the last few days,” Corbitt said.
Corbitt played four years of baseball at Airport High School and was a two-time all-state and four-time all-region selection. As a senior, he batted .412 and set school records for hits, total bases and doubles while also graduating No. 4 in his class.
Corbitt was a 2019 All-SoCon Freshman selection at The Citadel and a three-year starter at the military school in Charleston. He transferred to Clemson, was a regular starter there in 2022 under Lee and also played for Erik Bakich. He earned a master’s degree in human resource development from Clemson in May 2023.
His sister encouraged supporters to keep their donations coming.
“Every little bit helps and means the world,” Casey Corbitt wrote on GoFundMe.
