Two moves from the summer-collegiate Coastal Plain League today: the Florence RedWolves are set to play in a new city-owned ballpark as part of a larger complex, while the Spartanburg City Council approved a return of the league to Duncan Park.
The RedWolves play at Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium on the campus of Francis Marion University. The new $15-million complex is expected to open for the 2o22 summer-collegiate season.
“We are thrilled to be working with the city on such a unique, state of the art stadium for the RedWolves,” said team owner Kevin Barth. “Dr. Carter and Francis Marion University have been terrific partners for the last seven years, but this opportunity provides a stadium we can call our own.”
The RedWolves will play out of a 1,600-seat ballpark, which will also include a ticket booth, two concession stands, restroom buildings, concourse sitting areas, batting cages and clubhouses.
“This is fantastic news for the Florence RedWolves, the Barth family and the whole community in Florence,” said Coastal Plain League COO/Commissioner Justin Sellers. “The RedWolves have been a part of the CPL since its inception in 1997 (relocated to Florence in 1998). Their partnership with FMU has been great, but a new facility that the RedWolves can program year-round will not only be beneficial to the players and fans, but to the community at-large as it creates an opportunity to host a variety of secondary events.”
The RedWolves organization plans to outfit the new stadium with VIP seating, party suites, a beer garden, kids play area and group outing hospitality areas.
Meanwhile, tonight the Spartanburg City Council approved a return of the CPL to historic Duncan Park, regarded as the oldest ballpark in South Carolina. We visited Duncan Park before it was renovated by a dedicated group of volunteers (the above photo shows the state of the ballpark at the time). The CPL previously fielded a team at Duncan Park, the Spartanburg Stingers (2003-2007). Duncan Park is perhaps best known as the longtime home of the Spartanburg Phillies, who last played at the ballpark in 1994 and is now the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Low A; Sally League) after a few detours as the Boll Weevils and Intimidators.
Rendering courtesy Florence RedWolves.
RELATED STORIES: Duncan Park Stadium Upgrades Take Shape; Restoring Duncan Park Stadium; Duncan Park Stadium