Two of the more successful summer-collegiate teams are on the block, as owner Ken Silver is looking to sell the Gastonia Grizzlies and the Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plain League. Silver, a former Minor League Baseball owner, says he’s selling for a simple reason: the 68-year-old wants to spend less time at the […]
Tag Archives | summer collegiate
Jamestown fielding Diethrick Park lease inquiries
That didn’t take long: A day after the Jamestown Jammers (short season A; NY-Penn League) announced a 2015 move to Morgantown, W.Va., city officials reported multiple inquiries regarding a Diethrick Park lease. Not a surprise: some consider Jamestown a viable market and Diethrick Park, which opened in 1941, a decent venue despite the team’s failure […]
MKE Sports to manage Aviators in 2015
MKE Sports & Entertainment, the group seeking to build a new independent-league ballpark in the Milwaukee suburbs, has signed a deal to manage the Rockford Aviators (independent; Frontier League) in 2015. Mike Zimmerman, who ultimately failed to convince Franklin (Wis.) officials to finance a new ballpark at his Rock Sports Complex for a Frontier League […]
Duluth approves first round of Wade Stadium renovations
A $4.6-million renovation of Wade Stadium, home of the Duluth Huskies (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) will begin this fall and extend into next spring. The renovation work will be done in two parts, with $2.3 million coming from the state and $2.3 million coming from Duluth. The historic ballpark, which opened in 1941 with assistance […]
The Week That Was: August 17
Summer-collegiate attendance, Sir Paul McCartney closing down Candlestick Park and financial issues faced by several teams were news in the work of baseball this week. The top stories on Ballpark Digest this week, as measured by page views. The big stories this week all centered around summer-collegiate attendance, with readers eager to see the numbers […]
Fayetteville looking again at Minor League Baseball
This is way under the radar: Fayetteville (N.C.) officials are visiting Durham Bulls Athletic Park as a possible example of how Minor League Baseball would play out in a new downtown ballpark. There has been talk of investors interested in bringing MiLB back to Fayetteville, and in fact earlier this year an investment group approached […]
2014 Summer Collegiate Attendance by League
We conclude our coverage of summer-collegiate attendance with listings by league, as virtually every summer-collegiate league recorded an increased attendance for 2014 when compared to 2013. This list represents some history: the Northwoods League is the first summer-collegiate league to attract more than a million fans in a season. Part of that is a function […]
2014 Summer Collegiate Attendance by Total
At the end of the day, it does matter how many fannies are put in the seats. In that spirit, we present our ranking of 2014 summer-collegiate attendance, with teams sorted by total attendance. The Northwoods League dominates this ranking, with eight of the top 12 teams. Part of that is a function of the […]
2014 Summer Collegiate Attendance by Average
Seems like just yesterday the baseball season began, but this past weekend saw the conclusion of the 2014 summer-collegiate season. Here’s our annual attendance roundup, with teams ranked by average. Because of the small number of games in many leagues, the attendance can vary greatly year to year, so you’re going to see more fluctuations […]
A most unique ballpark proposal in Gastonia
We don’t normally cover ballpark proposals, mostly because there’s so dang many of them, but this one is worth noting: Jesse Cole of Team Cole proposing to Gastonia Grizzlies (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League) Director of Fun Emily McDonald. Jesse Cole, of course, heads the firm that manages the Grizzlies and the Forest City Owls […]
Florence lands 2015 CPL All-Star Game
The Florence RedWolves will host 2015 Coastal Plain League All-Star Game festivities on July 12-13 at Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium on the campus of Francis Marion University. “It is with great pleasure that we award the 2015 Coastal Plain League All-Star Game to the Florence RedWolves,” said CPL Commissioner Justin Sellers via press release […]
Futures League sets attendance record
Good news for the summer-collegiate Futures Collegiate Baseball League: with the addition of a tenth team, the circuit has already set a total attendance record with two weeks to go in the season. This is the fourth season for the Futures League, which launched in 2011 with only four teams: Nashua, Martha’s Vineyard, Torrington and […]
Kenosha Twins emerge from the shadows Friday
Two Kenosha baseball stories in one day! The second installment: The Kenosha Kingfish (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) are bringing back Kenosha Twins uniforms and logos Friday night. Tonight, of course, the team is playing as the Kenosha Sockets in a what-if event. Tomorrow night, the team will take the team as the Kenosha Twins, the […]