The Columbia Fireflies (Low A; Sally League) unveiled their home, away and two alternative uniforms for a 2016 inaugural season at Spirit Communications Park, as well as introducing the team’s coaching staff.
The Fireflies introduced all four uniform jerseys that they will wear during their Inaugural Season. The home jersey is white with navy piping and has the “Fireflies” wordmark across the chest, with the iconic Firefly on the right sleeve. The jersey that the Fireflies will wear for road games will feature a grey body with navy piping and navy set-in sleeves. The road jersey will feature the “Columbia” wordmark across the chest and the intertwined “CF”/flame logo on the right sleeve. For batting practice, the team will wear a navy mesh jersey with the iconic Firefly logo on the left chest. Finally, the Fireflies alternate jersey is a neon green-yellow with the “Fireflies” wordmark across the chest and the iconic Firefly on the right sleeve. The team will wear navy belts and socks.
“We are excited to show our fans what their team will look like on the field,” said principal owner Jason Freier. “Our players will be proud to take the field in these uniforms and we are sure that fans throughout the Midlands will embrace the team’s look, as they already have our name and logo. We thank the great young players who came out to help us today. We hope to see them on the field at Spirit Communications Park one day.”
The Fireflies also announced the team’s 2016 coaching staff. Managing the Fireflies in 2016 will be Jose Leger. Leger is in his seventh season with the New York Mets. He was the South Atlantic League Manager of the year in 2015, managing the Savannah Sand Gnats to first-place finishes in both halves of the season. Prior to Savannah, Leger spent three seasons managing the Kingsport Mets (rookie; Appalachian League) and two seasons managing the Mets’ summer league team in the Dominican Republic. Leger played professionally in the Minnesota Twins minor league system and played college baseball at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville, GA. He resides in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic with his wife Estela and their two sons.
“Leger is the perfect choice to manage the Fireflies in our Inaugural Season,” said John Katz, Fireflies team president. “Jose has amazing passion and fire for the game, and his players work hard on the field and in the community.”
Other members of the coaching staff include pitching coach Jonathan Hurst, hitting coach Joel Fuentes, athletic trainer Kiyoshi Tada and strength and conditioning coach Alex Tavarez.