ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tropicana Field had a little bit of Florida royalty in the stadium this evening. Miss Florida USA 2023 Caroline Dixon was in attendance and threw out the first pitch.
Lined up with Raymond the mascot as her catcher, the Crystal River native gave it her all and threw the ball just barely outside the batter's box.
Raymond almost pulled a hamstring to catch it. Oh, Raymond!
The Rays game against the Kansas City Royals would follow with a Rays loss, 6-5.
This is Dixon's first appearance with the Tampa Bay Rays and in an earlier interview, she said she hopes to work with more teams in the area.
Earlier this month, Dixon and Miss Florida Teen USA 2023 Sharlysse Nelson attended an event for the For Paul Foundation. Dixon also attended the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital prom to support children and their families on June 9.
Dixon was crowned Miss Florida USA on May 14. The Citrus County native graduated from Crystal River High School and went on to complete her education at Florida State University. She recently moved to Palm Harbor where she works as a senior legislative aide.
If you're looking to cheer Miss Florida on in the Miss USA 2023 pageant, the official date of the pageant has not been announced, however, it will be sometime near the end of the year.
Keep up with Dixon on Instagram to track the journey to Miss USA.