After a legal battle that saw the Gastonia Honey Hunters removed from both CaroMont Health Park and the Atlantic League, we have a replacement for the 2024 season: veteran sports-management firm Zawyer Sports & Entertainment.
Zawyer Sports & Entertainment owns and operates several sports franchises, including the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen, Savannah Ghost Pirates, Atlanta Gladiators, Allen Americans and the Tahoe Knight Monsters. Zawyer Sports & Entertainment also owns and operates ice facilities in Savannah and Jacksonville, which includes the Community First Igloo, the official training facility of the Jacksonville Icemen. Zawyer Sports also owns and operates 32 Degrees Marketing, which offers next level marketing guidance, support, brand building, apparel, and promotional products.
“We are excited to provide Gastonia with family-fun entertainment, while also being an active community partner,” said Zawyer Sports & Entertainment CEO Andy Kaufmann. “We would like to thank the City of Gastonia for the opportunity to usher in a new era of professional baseball in the region and grow it into a product the community will enjoy for years to come.”
The name for the new professional baseball team will be selected by the community in a “Name the Team” contest, which has launched today. The new team is slated to open the upcoming 2024 season on April 25.
“We are delighted to welcome Zawyer Sports to the league as the operator of the new Gastonia Baseball Club,” said Rick White, President of the Atlantic League. “Andy Kaufmann and the entire Zawyer organization are 100 percent committed to the community of Gastonia and its residents.”
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