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Report: Edenton Steamers to be Sold, Moved

Edenton Steamers

It is being reported locally that owner Frank Burke is working to sell the Edenton Steamers (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League), which would trigger a move of the franchise after 2019 and the launch of a new, non-CPL club in Edenton.

A change in ownership has not been formally announced so many details remain unknown, but a potential sale of the Steamers is reportedly in the works. The plan calls for Burke to sell the team to an ownership group that would move it after the 2019 season. Though the current franchise would be sold and relocated, the Steamers name and branding would remain in Edenton to be assumed by a new team that begins play in 2020.

Just where the current Steamers would end up remains to be seen, but Burke confirmed this week that he is working to sell the franchise. Should the Steamers move, their replacement in Edenton would would be a summer-collegiate franchise owned by a local non-profit and operated by a separate board, playing in a unspecified league. The Steamers name and branding would remain in place for the new club, which would also play at Historic Hicks Field. More from DailyAdvance.com:

In a phone interview Wednesday, Burke said the Coastal Plain League has outgrown the Edenton market and that having a CPL team in Edenton is no longer financially feasible. He noted that Edenton is one of the smaller markets in the CPL.

Though the CPL team will be leaving, there will still be Steamers baseball in Edenton in 2020.

Edenton Steamers general manager Tyler Russell confirmed that a summer college baseball wood bat team will be playing its home games in Edenton next summer.

According to Billy Bass, the nonprofit Edenton-Chowan Foundation will own the new baseball club and a separate board will operate the team. Bass will serve as the foundation’s president.

Burke, a former owner of the Chattanooga Lookouts (Class AA; Southern League), purchased the Steamers in 2016.

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