
### _[26 IN 26 STOP 24](/26in26list)_

Our story for today begins a few miles west of Hartford in Bristol, CT in 1973 (although it technically starts before this, but that part’s mostly irrelevant and kinda confusing). Six years before ESPN was created to broadcast Hartford Whalers games (look it up), the Boston Red Sox established a Double-A franchise - the Bristol Red Sox - at Muzzy Field. In 1983, the team moved east to New Britain, CT and became the New Britain Red Sox.

In 1995, faced with a substandard stadium and the opportunity for newer facilities for their prospects, the Red Sox moved their Double-A operations to Trenton, NJ ([the modern-day Thunder of the MLB Draft League](2025-08-15_trethunder)). Meanwhile, back in New Britain, the team was renamed to the "Hardware City Rock Cats" and became an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. In 1996, a new stadium was built for the Rock Cats adjacent to the old one (and "Hardware City" turned back into "New Britain"), and it became their home until 2015 - the same year the team switched affiliation to the Colorado Rockies.

In 2016, the team moved again - this time heading up Interstate 84 from New Britain to Connecticut’s capital: Hartford[^1]. I’m not fully sure why the team decided to make this move (though my guess is that it's either due to outdated facilities again or to try and attract fans from east of Hartford), but it came with a brand new stadium: Dunkin’ (Donuts) Park.

...or at least it was supposed to. However, the park wasn’t ready for 2016, so the Hartford Yard Goats spent that whole season as a traveling team with no home (as well as causing legal battles between the city of Hartford and the stadium builders). However, on April 13, 2017, the Yard Goats finally played their first game in Hartford, and things have been largely the same ever since. Despite the Rockies being...the Rockies, the move to Hartford seems to have worked, as the team has been in the top three of attendance every year since their stadium opened (including a few years as the league leaders), and in addition to the Yard Goats, the stadium has hosted a few [Cape Cod Baseball League](ccbl_overview) games (among other things).

This is far and away the newest of the MiLB stadiums I've been to (it's the second newest in the Eastern League behind Richmond's shiny new stadium that just opened this year), and it's rather impressive IMO. The main concourse wraps fully around the field, but I must admit: it feels narrow in a few spots. I won't go over every single one of the party areas and beer in the stadium, but there are quite a few of them, and the seat I got for this game ended up being in a row ON the concourse. Several of the infield sections have a row on the concourse, and behind some of these rows are long "high top" seats which also have a table (I am NOT sure if these are typically "sold" however)

One thing here that I've not really noticed in MiLB: EXTENSIVE outfield seats. There's seats down both the left and right field lines, and while a decent, there's also upper deck seats that stretch essentially from center field towards the right field foul pole (which I don't think I've seen a Minor League stadium do). I thought about getting a seat here, but the lack of cover made me opt for a shaded seat (though I just so happened to scoop a t-shirt from the t-shirt toss in this area)[^3].

Similar to [Delta Dental Stadium](2026-04-06_nhfishercats) up in Manchester, this was a stadium where I’d been to the team store several times, but never been able to catch a game. It’s kinda sorta inconveniently far from BOTH Boston AND North Jersey, and Hartford...isn’t known as the best place in the world (fun fact: before settling on Trenton, the Red Sox almost moved to Springfield, MA - another city with a very much less-than-stellar reputation). However, since I’ve decided to try this whole _26 in 26_ thing this year, I felt it was FINALLY time to check out more than the team store.

Originally, this trip and the Fisher Cats game I went to back in April were going to be part of a full weekend trip to New England, but something came up that made the trip unfeasible (and I should note that this was NOT the weekend I ended up seeing the Fisher Cats). I thought about just going on the day I intended anyway (it's about two and a half hours, which is far but not the worst), but rain ended that idea, and after I was unable to go to a different game WHICH I BOUGHT A TICKET FOR[^4], this ended up being the game.

The good news for the Yard Goats: they only left two men on base!

The bad news: those two men left on base represented the ONLY two Yard Goats to reach, as the team's offense was shut down (no walks and 13 strikeouts) by the pitching of the visiting Portland Sea Dogs - proud Eastern League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox (2026 notwithstanding). As Hartford more or less sits on Connecticut's "Boston/New York dividing line", I should also note that there were seemingly a LOT of Red Sox fans in attendance, with Red Sox hats/shirts/jerseys VASTLY outnumbering Yankees and Mets ones (though I may have to eventually see the [Patriots](2026-04-17_sompatriots) visit to see how that flips when THEY'RE in town - but maybe not this year)[^5].

Also, since a lot of fans left early (again, 6-0 with only two baserunners on a fairly hot day) and there was more shade in the stands towards the end of the game, I saw the final inning from HERE:

![A photo of Dunkin' Park from behind home plate](/images/2026/0628-dunkinpark-frontrow.jpeg)

<figcaption>This goes FIRMLY against my "don't end up on a broadcast" rule, but I can't deny this is COOL</figcaption>

### MERCH

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been to the team store here several times - scooping several jerseys, a few hats, and a logo baseball. Notably, however, I have never bought a flex fit hat here in the Yard Goats’ main color scheme (blue and green); the flex fit Yard Goats hats I have came from local malls, and any flex fit hats I've gotten here are alt identities. Speaking of alt identities, I ended up getting a hat for a "new" one the team introduced this year: the Hartford Rock Cats (which feels like a slap in the face to New Britain in several ways).

The main store here is right next to the main gates of the stadium (which, again, are in right field). Unlike the Fisher Cats, it's on the concourse itself, so it's a bit easier to get to (one thing I have yet to mention: the main concourse is at STREET level, and the field is sunk into the ground). The team also has two other kiosks on the main concourse (one in the outfield, and another behind home plate) - though I feel like it's worth noting that I don't recall seeing jerseys or fitted hats at the kiosks (or any alt identity stuff).

---

One FINAL final note: on some level, this game was "unnecessary", as I have plans to come back in about a month's time. However, I still wanted to talk about the stadium PRIOR to that visit, as I REALLY want to focus on the game next time - partially as it involves a certain former Portland Sea Dog[^6]...

---

[^1]: New Britain's stadium was not left empty, however - more on that later.

[^2]: These two plus Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester represent the only Eastern League ballparks opened in the 21st century - and I don't believe any Eastern League teams are planning new stadiums right now.

[^3]: I also saw a t-shirt go OUT OF THE STADIUM and onto the nearby street.

[^4]: The ticket I originally got was part of the same deal I got my [2001 NYPL Ring Night](2026-06-26_bkncyclones3) ticket from.

[^5]: The Yard Goats' next home opponent after this game is the Mets' Eastern League affiliate FWIW - though I don't know how many Met fans exist in central Connecticut (I've largely been under the impression that it's mainly Red Sox/Yankees, with Met fans more likely to be near the coast/in [Bridgeport](2026-01-12_bptislanders)). However, I did see like three or four Yankees jerseys and exactly ONE Mets jersey at the game.

[^6]: It's also good that I found out how narrow the concourses are, as this game was apparently an overflow sellout, and my next visit is likely to be another...

Minor League Baseball in the "Hart" of Connecticut

Hartford Yard Goats (Eastern League) @ Dunkin’ Park (Hartford, CT)


I alluded to it back when I visited [Brooklyn FC’s women’s team](2025-11-09_bkfc), but the Cyclones won the South Atlantic League title last year (2025). However, I should probably go back a bit more - especially as one part is relevant.

As I mentioned when I talked about [my first visit back in April 2025](2025-08-09_bkncyclones), the Cyclones began playing in Brooklyn in 2001. However, the franchise was established (in the New York-Penn League) in St. Catherines, Ontario (on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls) in 1986 as a Blue Jays affiliate, then the team moved to Queens in 2000 (a year prior to what is now Maimonides Park opening) and spent a year at the baseball stadium of St. John's University. Another thing I forgot to mention last time: the Cyclones were consistently first in NYPL attendance - part of that likely due to their prime location in a summer tourist destination (as well as only playing in the summer months).

The last thing I should mention before talking about this game: the Cyclones won the final New York-Penn League title in 2019, but another thing I forgot to mention is that the team made the championship series in their first year in Brooklyn, won game one of the series...and then September 11th happened. All MiLB playoffs were cancelled, and the Cyclones were declared co-champions along with their opponent for that series (the Williamsport Crosscutters, who are now in the [MLB Draft League](2025-08-15_trethunder)). This is important because _this_ game was apparently the celebration of the first ever Cyclones season (on the 25th anniversary of the team's first game, which occurred on June 25, 2001). I say "apparently" because in all honesty...it didn't seem all that different from a "regular" Cyclones game. However, to commemorate the 2001 season/championship, the team gave away replicas of their NYPL championship ring from that year[^1], which is why I decided to go to this game - and thanks to a promotion back in late April, I got my ticket for just ten dollars![^2]

One thing that made getting here quite tricky, however: a very large soccer tournament whose name I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say legally (yes, I know this is more of a "personal" thing, but if I want to do any cool stuff in the future...). Due to said tournament, NJ Transit informed riders that if they didn't need to be on their trains when games were scheduled at ~~Metlife~~ New York/New Jersey Stadium, then they really should stay off the rails, as HIGH volume ridership was expected...and guess what was going on the day of this game? Because of this, I ended up opting to drive over - but unlike last time, NY Rush Hour was involved (aka the time when the Belt Parkway goes from "not great" to "NIGHTMARISH").

To my surprise, the drive over wasn't actually all that bad (home was a bit of a different story however), and I (intentionally) arrived about an hour BEFORE the gates opened. This allowed me to walk around a bit, and while there are aspects of the Coney Island boardwalk that I found kinda cool, the big thing I should mention the Wall of Remembrance: a monument to (what I think are) fallen 9/11 responders on the walls OUTSIDE Maimonides Park (that I forgot to get a photo of). Inside the stadium, it seemed that there were a few new concession changes, including the addition of something I don't recall seeing in my three visits last year: PIZZA. How they managed to not have that (seemingly) for YEARS is beyond me...

![A photo of Maimonides Park](/images/2026/0625-coneyisland.jpeg)

<figcaption>I gotta say: the lights of the attractions around the stadium are fun to watch at night</figcaption>

Sadly, the Cyclones have cycled from "SAL champions" to "kinda sorta bad" this year; they had the second worst record in the league heading into this game. In fairness, win-loss records aren't SUPER important in the Minor Leagues (given that the playoffs are viewed as more of a BURDEN than a reward), but with the Mets being...the Mets, it's not exactly great that the "alternative" is also struggling - and that after four good innings, their starter kinda sorta came apart and the team ended up losing to another team celebrating their 25th anniversary: the [Jersey Shore Blueclaws](2026-04-08_jsblueclaws2)[^3].

One final note: 

### MERCH

The team appears to have made some slight updates to their team store - either that or it's a bit better organized now. There was a special 25th anniversary jersey listed as the "item of the day", but if you were looking to get one in anything bigger than a size large, they were seemingly out (and they didn't have many larges either).

Also, they had an older version of their home jersey with "twill letters" (i.e. the ones that are raised above the jersey as opposed to sublimated into it). Alas, these were only available in 2XL and 3XL, plus the letters were not fully stitched onto the jersey.

---

[^1]: There was a separate night where the team was giving away 2025 championship rings, but that was during my week in the Carolinas (otherwise I would've STRONGLY considered going).

[^2]: I got a ticket to another game through this promo, but [I wasn't able to make it to the game](2026-06-29_hfdyardgoats). Alas, these were the only two games I ended up going for via this promo, as the other MiLB games I've been to this year either weren't listed as part of the promotion ([Myrtle Beach](2026-06-15_mbpelicans)), or happened prior to the promotion being announced (i.e. [Jersey Shore](2026-04-08_jsblueclaws2) and [Somerset](2026-04-17_sompatriots)).

[^3]: Fun fact: the BlueClaws are now 4-1 in games where I've seen them live (a doubleheader split [at home back in 2025](2025-08-08_jsblueclaws), a win over the [Hudson Valley Renegades last year](2025-08-10_hvrenegades), and then two wins this year - both against Brooklyn, who are 1-3 now when you consider THEM losing to the Renegades [near the end of last season](2025-09-01_bkncyclones2)).


A (supposedly) special night on Coney Island

Brooklyn Cyclones 2026 Edition


If you couldn't tell from the past few posts, collegiate summer baseball has expanded greatly in the Cape Fear area (i.e. southeastern North Carolina) in the past few years with the Old North State League adding a trio of teams: the [Shallotte Shallywags](2026-06-16_shashallywags), [Cape Fear Ghost Crabs](2026-06-17_cfghostcrabs), and [Oak Island Loggerheads](2026-06-19_okiloggerheads). However, these three don't represent the entire story of summer league baseball in this part of North Carolina, as there is one more team in the area - with much more history than the others.

The Coastal Plain League is another summer wood bat league (y'know, like the ONSL and the [Cape Cod Baseball League](ccbl_overview)) that was founded in 1997 by an executive who wanted summer baseball closer to his home (somewhere in the South I guess). Named after a former minor league, it has grown considerably in its almost three decades of existence, and for long time readers, I've actually mentioned it quite a few times around here already, as its teams have also spawned two “alternate” forms of baseball: Banana Ball (which has been featured on this blog [four](2025-08-23_bananaball_bos) [different](2026-04-25_bananaball_ny) [times](2026-04-27_bananaball_ny2) [before](2026-06-12_bananaball_js)) and [Cosmic Baseball](2026-05-15_cosmicbaseball).

Six teams were founded alongside the league: one of them being the Wilmington Sharks. As one of the founding members of the CPL, you may not be surprised to learn that they’re tied for the most championships in the league; however, what may surprise you is the years those titles were won: 1998, 1999, and then 2024[^1].

Like a lot of summer baseball teams, the Sharks play at what is essentially a community field. I couldn’t find any information on when Buck Hardee Field actually opened, but apparently it received its current name back in 1981. In all honesty, there isn’t much to say about the place as it’s very similar to other community fields (y’know, like the ones on Cape Cod), but one thing that is different from the Cape: I believe alcohol is available at a bar area down the right field line (in other words, it's very similar to [Bill Smith Park](2026-06-19_okiloggerheads)).

Unlike Oak Island, however, there is a very large reserved grandstand behind home plate, and while general admission seating is available, I THINK this grandstand is reserved seating only (i.e. you're not supposed to sit here on just a GA ticket). One other interesting note: similar to [Shallotte](2026-06-16_shashallywags) and Oak Island, the first and third base paths are part of the infield grass and not dirt basepaths.

If you've been reading the last few posts on this blog, then you're already aware of how my family does vacations down to the Carolinas every other year; however, what I didn’t mention is that the last two trips, I’ve done a day at a Sharks game. In fact, I WANTED to see the Sharks face the Bananas in 2022, but was unable to for multiple reasons (one of them being weather)[^2]. This year, I had a game during our week lined up for a visit, but then I found out about the Old North State League and the [Cape Fear Ghost Crabs](2026-06-23_cfghostcrabs), and since Wilmington is a bit of a hike from where we stay (among other things), I felt that only one trip would be feasible (that plus the game was at 10 AM on a rain-threatened day).

![A photo of Buck Hardee Field](/images/2026/ilmsharks.JPG)

Both times I’ve seen the Sharks live...they’ve lost. I can't recall too much of what happened in the first game, but the second game (from which the photo above was taken) ended early due to mercy rule. Had I gone to the game I intended to see, I would've seen a THIRD loss, as the Sharks lost to a team of players from a small summer league based in Myrtle Beach (the Beach Collegiate Baseball League - don't look them up on Yelp). However, I found out that they had a game at the same time as the Loggerheads game I went to, but I didn't even know about it until I was already at that game - though I felt fine skipping the Sharks for various reasons (even though Wilmington did win their game against the team that I saw beat them in 2024)[^3].

### MERCH

As I recall, merch is based in a small shack on the concourse. While it doesn’t stray far from your standard fare of hats, shirts, and baseball novelties, some of the more interesting things I've found here include a broken bat and a special anniversary shirt.

There is one unfortunate situation with the Sharks that I have to mention: I’ve found that hats are oddly hard to come by here. One year, I was told they were waiting on some players from the College World Series to arrive before they would sell hats, and the other time, only the largest size was available (which SORTA works for me, but I'm not a fan of it personally). Like some other summer league teams (i.e. several teams in the Cape League), the Sharks have the habit of changing their hats every year, which makes trying to pin them down more annoying. In fact, this difficulty in getting hats even extends to their online store: I tried ordering a hat one time only for them to email me saying the hat I ordered was sold out. However, I found out after I got back from the Loggerheads game that player hats were available online, so I decided to order some[^4].

---

[^1]: It should be noted that the Savannah Bananas also have three CPL championships. That’s right: The Savannah Bananas were founded, won three league championships, and then LEFT the CPL between the Sharks’ second and third championship.

[^2]: According to one of the Ghost Crabs interns, the Sharks actually won a CPL marketing award in 2019 over Savannah.

[^3]: There was a Loggerheads game on the day after I COULD have gone to, but between being out basically every night plus the fact that it was our last night of vacation, I felt it wouldn't have been right (plus, again, I've seen the Sharks before).

[^4]: The Sharks have a couple of hat designs, but when I looked prior to the Loggerheads game, I only found one type of hat available, and it was only in size XL - slightly bigger than what I typically like.

A little bit about Cape Fear's original summer league team

Wilmington Sharks (Coastal Plain League) @ Buck Hardee Field at Legion Stadium (Wilmington, NC)


## _[26 IN 26 STOP 23](/26in26list)_

_\*As a side note, this is the 100th post on this blog![^1]_

I talked about a team called the Brunswick Surfin Turfs a few days ago, but for those who didn't see that: they were a team in the Old North State League that was founded in 2022 with their first season of play being 2023; they had the best record in the league that year, but then "split" into two teams in 2025. One of those teams is the [Shallotte Shallywags](2026-06-23_shashallywags), and today, I'm going to discuss the other team: the Oak Island Loggerheads.

Much like the Shallywags, the Loggerheads - named after a species of turtle - don't exactly have a lot of "history" yet. However, in 2025 (i.e. when both teams made their debuts), the Loggerheads had the better postseason: they won the playoffs for the division the two teams play in (the ONSL does its playoffs similar to the NHL where each division has "its own tournament", then the winners face off for the title).

Their home is a local community baseball park (as opposed to a high school field like Shallotte). There are several fields here, but most of them are Little League fields, while the Loggerheads play (rather appropriately) at a bigger field. As a community field, there are much fewer amenities than most stadiums I've talked about on this blog...but that doesn't mean that there are none.

![A photo of the Oak Island Loggerheads field at Bill Smith Park](/images/2026/0618-oki.jpeg)

In general, I'd describe this place as having a "[Cape Cod Baseball League](ccbl_overview)-esque" feel (except you have to pay to get in): the only seats here are small risers (with padded chair backs available for a bit more than general admission), and most fans bring lawn chairs and plop them right up against the fences (which extend around the whole field and affect the view in a rather unfortunate way). However, one thing found here that is nowhere to be found in the CCBL: alcohol! A picnic area down the first base/left field line features a stand which sells alcohol, and as this game was on "Thirsty Thursday", the team had a dollar beer special. Also, just like the Shallywags, the first and third base paths are grass instead of dirt. 

My original thought was to go after the [Myrtle Beach Pelicans](2026-06-15_mbpelicans) game (as both the Loggerheads and Shallywags were home that day, and Oak Island is further). Unfortunately, that Pelicans game started at 6:30, and with both ONSL games starting at 6, there was no way I'd be able to make it (you have to remember that this was my ONLY shot at seeing the Pelicans). Thankfully, the Loggerheads had other home games during the week, and so to accommodate visits to the other two ONSL teams, I ended up at this game - a game the Loggerheads ended up losing BADLY (as in they got mercy rule'd). I should also note that it felt like some of the fans here were honestly quite rowdy: one had an airhorn that they sounded VERY often, and another was yelling at players all game (moreso the Loggerheads - despite wearing a Loggerheads shirt).

![A photo of baseball action](/images/2026/0618-nofence.jpeg)

<figcaption>I tried to take a few photos through the fence, but as you might be able to tell from this one, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do...</figcaption>

One other note: the Loggerheads have this thing called "Boco Ball" that they debuted this year, and I ALMOST went to see it, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth it (partially as I would have not have been able to visit the [Ghost Crabs](2026-06-23_cfghostcrabs) - who, coincidentally, won _THIS_ particular game[^2] - had I gone). Boco Ball is a "variant" of baseball which has a strict 2-hour time limit and has an unusual rule for a foul ball on a full count, but outside of that it didn't seem all that different from regular baseball - though it DOES feature a "revived" version of the Brunswick Surfin Turfs in the "Glowmojis/Party Animals" role.

### MERCH

When I checked the team's Instagram, they mentioned that player hats - i.e. the thing I am looking for MOST when I visit these summer league teams - were available online at one point (as they're usually a popular and hard-to-get item from summer league teams[^3]). Unfortunately, I was two months late for preorders...

Instagram is also where I learned of a local store that sells Loggerheads merchandise. I mentioned this when I visited the Ghost Crabs, but teams in the ONSL have a partner program where local merchants are encouraged to partner with teams to sell merchandise, and for the Loggerheads, one of their partners is a local sporting goods store that specializes in fishing gear. I decided to check out the store a few days before going to the game[^4], and said store had player hats and jerseys.

At the game itself, merch was sold in a trailer run by another local store that partners with the team. Unlike Shallotte and Cape Fear, no jerseys were available at this game, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had Brunswick Surfin Turfs hats (plus a few alternate identities) available! I should note, however, that these hats were Zephyr hats - a brand the ONSL seemingly moved away from some time ago, so it's likely that they're old stock (even if they weren't clearance priced)...

One other note: the team has a beer themed "alternate identity" (which I put in quotes as it's not an alt identity in the MiLB sense) known as the Oak Island Lagerheads (note the spelling). This includes a beer themed jersey, but for whatever reason, the team's "regular" jerseys have a "Lagerheads" script, and the beer themed jerseys say "Loggerheads" on them...

---

[^1]: Not counting update/announcement posts.

[^2]: This was the Ghost Crabs' eighth win in a row, and between this game, the game I saw at UNCW, and a game between the two, the team scored **49 RUNS** in the three games - all of which ended via the mercy rule.

[^3]: Case in point: the Ghost Crabs only having hats in size XXS when I visited.

[^4]: This was the same day I saw the Myrtle Beach Pelicans - and for reference, Oak Island and Myrtle Beach are in OPPOSITE directions from our "beach" (one north, one south).


The Old North State League's most lowkey team (at least from my experience)

Oak Island Loggerheads (Old North State League) @ Bill Smith Park (Southport, NC)


## _[26 IN 26 STOP 22](/26in26list)_



In late summer 2025, the Old North State League announced that they would be expanding by adding a third team in the Cape Fear region (a year after the [Shallotte Shallywags](2026-06-16_shashallywags) and [Oak Island Loggerheads](2026-06-19_okiloggerheads) debuted). The team held a name the team contest, and in November the winning name was announced: the Cape Fear Fish Sticks. Unfortunately...a month later, they had to rebrand after a copyright dispute (I assume it's with the DubSea Fish Sticks of another league), so after a SECOND name the team contest, the team became the Ghost Crabs (a type of crab that's known for being basically translucent).

Originally, they were to play at a local high school (like the Shallywags), but months before their first season (i.e. THIS season), the team announced that they were moving to the baseball stadium at the University of North Carolina Wilmington - far and away the largest of the ONSL's Wilmington area teams.

UNC Wilmington (or UNCW) was founded as Wilmington College shortly after World War II, and became part of the University of North Carolina system in 1969. I didn't know anyone from UNCW's notable alumni list on Wikipedia, but it does include famous basketball coach John Calipari - who played for the basketball team for two seasons before transferring (so does he ACTUALLY count?). As for Brooks Field itself, it has a pretty interesting history: it was opened in 1989, is named after the school's first athletic director (who also served as the baseball team's head coach), and in addition to UNCW's baseball team, hosted two affiliated Minor League Baseball teams (though neither lasted past two seasons).

![A photo of Brooks Field @ UNC Wilmington](/images/2026/0616-uncw.jpeg)

On some level, it's on the more "basic" side as college baseball stadiums go, as UNC Wilmington is a smaller D-I school; however, it's similar to and yet somehow _better_ than [Bainton Field](2026-03-29_rutgers_batandball#baseball) at Rutgers (likely due to UNCW treating baseball a bit more seriously). Conversely, as a college stadium, it's a bit more "built up" than most of the summer league stadiums I've been to, which are either high school and/or community fields (save for the Futures League and it's ex-MiLB-affiliated stadiums); for example, there's a working video board that the team uses (emphasis on the word "working"), which is not something I've seen a ton of around the summer leagues. Heck, there's another summer league team in Wilmington (whom a number of the Ghost Crabs staff worked for in the past), and this stadium blows theirs out of the proverbial water (according to one of the interns - though I do hate to admit that it's true due to the nature of the other team's stadium).

The main grandstand has two seating areas: a club level lower area with folding seats and bar style seating (akin to the seats I sat in for a [Rutgers women's basketball game](2025-11-25_rubasketball_womens)), while the upper area is "fixed" seating. There are bleachers down both base lines, but while the first base line simply has two sets of metal bleachers, the third base line has (going away from the grandstand):

- A "standard" set of metal bleachers
- A bleacher-esque area with rocking chairs instead of benches (and the chairs are not bolted down, so they can be moved around)
- A bar area
- A hill in left field with Adirondack chairs (though said chairs are not well maintained sadly)

![A view of a section of Rocking chairs](/images/2026/0616-rockingchairs.jpeg)

Despite being a "new" team, the Ghost Crabs are doing fairly decently this year (see: the Shallotte Shallywags[^1]). This contest was another interesting one, as the Ghost Crabs were down halfway through the game but took the lead right as I had to head out for the night (it's around an hour drive), and ended up winning via mercy rule (a rule where a team leading by ten runs at the end of an inning instantly wins[^2]).

### MERCH

One thing the Ghost Crabs have that I didn't see elsewhere in this ONSL journey: a trailer! Merch is sold out of this trailer, and the team had quite a few items that weren't shirts and hats: yo-yos, Croc jibbitz, keychains, and not Livestrong bracelets. Some of these miscellaneous items could be had for free...if you caught/found a foul ball and returned it to the merch trailer[^3].

However, in standard "Summer League team player merch being super limited for fans" fashion...player hats were only available in the smallest size (XXS) which only fits infants (but also makes a good desk decoration for a baseball fanatic like...y'know), and like the Shallywags, the team had ONE JERSEY available. It should also be noted that the Ghost Crabs have two different designs for player hats, but only one was available.

Teams in the ONSL have a partner program where local merchants are encouraged to partner with teams to sell merchandise, and there's a batting cage that partners with the team a short drive from the stadium. I checked it out right before the game, but they didn't seem to have Ghost Crabs stuff. Also, this game was a Halloween themed night, and the team had a bunch of plastic skeletons around the stadium - two of them wearing "Cape Fear Fish Sticks" gear.

---

[^1]: BTW, the Shallywags beat another non-ONSL team the same night as this game!

[^2]: Fun fact: the last baseball game I saw in Wilmington ended via mercy rule as well - except the AWAY team won.

[^3]: I mentioned this in the Shallywags post, but it seems the ONSL wants players/teams to conserve baseballs. However, the Ghost Crabs aren't the only team I've seen give fans rewards for returning foul balls - the [Chatham Anglers](2025-08-17_chaanglers) do too.


The new reason why the ONSL is seeing ghosts

Cape Fear Ghost Crabs (Old North State League) @ Brooks Field (Wilmington, NC)


## _[26 IN 26 STOP 21](/26in26list)_

The Old North State League is a summer collegiate league that's on the "newer" side. It was founded in 2018, and in 2023 it joined a collective of summer leagues known as The Players League (though there's indications that it was actually the league that started TPL). I'm not certain about what exactly The Players League is, but from what I could glean, it's a collaboratve effort by several leagues to foster growth and unity amongst these types of leagues (i.e. the small summer collegiate leagues that aren't as well recognized as the [Cape](ccbl_overview), Northwoods, or Coastal Plain Leagues).

I had never heard of the league until researching some baseball stuff a few months ago, but when I did, I found out that there were no less than three teams in the area we typically stay in during my family's Carolina trips (in Brunswick County, NC, which is basically the Wilmington area). A big reason why I never knew about the ONSL is because (apparently) two of the three teams debuted in 2025 (i.e. the year between our last trip and this one) and the third one is debuting THIS YEAR, so this is the first time I've been down there while the teams were playing.

However, here is where things get a little "odd", as there WAS a team in the area prior to 2025: the Brunswick Surfin Turfs (representing the county as a whole). Their social media pages indicate a 2022 establishemnt with their first season of play being 2023; they had the best record in the league that year, but lost their lone playoff game.

The team wasn't quite as good in 2024[^1], but were still able to make the playoffs (where they lost again). Then, in 2025, the Surfin Turfs "split" into two teams in the area - one of them being the Shallotte Shallywags. However...it's possible the term "split" isn't exactly accurate.

I found <a href="https://www.newsargus.com/brunswick_beacon/sports/shallywags-replace-surfin-turfs-bring-college-summer-baseball-back-to-shallotte/article_eef0fce8-e734-536a-b025-900e9c30686d.html" target="blank">an article</a> that actually explains more on why the "split" occurred. Long story short: the Surfin Turfs were playing at a field without lights (making it difficult for locals to make it to games) and weren't really connecting with the community (which is KEY in a small league like the ONSL), so the league's president (who I THINK happens to own the other Brunswick County team) felt it would be better for the team to be in a city where they would be better supported. In essence, the Shallywags are the RELOCATION of the Surfin Turfs, but are also kinda "not", as they don't seem to claim the Surfin Turfs' history - though that may be due to the team's decision to rebrand to "Shallywags" in order to better connect to their town (Shallotte) more.

The article features an interview with a man who was the assistant General Manager, whose goal was to try and build a high level fan experience inspired by the [Savannah Bananas](2025-08-23_bananaball_bos) (he also served as the team's on field host dressed in a pirate costume). However...it seems the team has had a change at the top, as the pirate is nowhere to be found, there was basically nothing going on outside the game (i.e. no between innings shenanigans), and the team is SUPER QUIET on social media - though part of that can possibly be chalked up to the team having ONE WIN so far this year - and said win was against a team (seemingly) from another league (i.e. they're winless in ONSL play).

The same article indicates that the Surfin Turfs started their existence in the stadium the Shallywags call home: Mike Alderson Field on the campus of West Brunswick High School. Located just off the main highway connecting Wilmington, Myrtle Beach, and the beaches in between, this is the closest ONSL team to the place we visit (which I'm not going to disclose in case this blog goes viral and ruins it for everyone[^2]).

Yes, this is a high school field, so there's not much to talk about: all there really is are bleachers and a press box. However, I should mention that similar to [Rutgers](2026-03-29_rutgers_batandball), this is a baseball/softball complex with the softball field sharing a gate/concourse with the baseball stadium, there are plastic "chairs" in the section behind home plate (which does not rise as high as the baseline sections due to the press box), and something rather unusual: a MOSTLY normal dirt infield save for the basepaths to first and third base from home, which are grass instead of dirt as shown in the photo below (and as an aside: this isn't the last time I'm going to talk about a field with this specific setup).

![A photo of a baseball field with the first and third base lines featuring grass instead of dirt](/images/2026/0615-shallywags.jpeg)

I realized in planning this trip that I don't know if/how I should count these when it comes to my _26 in 26_ list (see: [NJ United](2026-05-24_njunited) and [Ironbound SC](2026-05-31_ironboundsc)); however, if high school fields are good enough for the future stars of the Cape Cod Baseball League, then I think they should count here too!

This game was rather interesting: it started around 7 PM, but I left around 8:30 to pick up dinner (so as to not annoy the place I wanted to go to which closes at 10 and was seemingly preparing to close when I left just before 9). At that point, the game had already reached the seventh inning in less than 90 minutes, but when I ended up deciding to come back to see what was going on, it was "only" the bottom of the eighth. I ended up going home before the end of the game, but the last thing I saw was a pitching change, as the Shallywags were down 3-2 to the UNDEFEATED Sandhills Bogeys but had the bases loaded with two outs. I eventually found out that the Shallywags were held, and 3-2 was the final score ( and thus the Bogeys remain undefeated).

### MERCH

When I found out about the ONSL and its teams, several teams were in the process of taking jersey "preorders". I ended up not getting any, but the Shallywags' pirate themed "fun" jersey was something I considered getting (though I can't exactly say I was fully interested).

The press box here features a concession stand, and in addition to various concession items, the team had shirts and player hats available for sale, as well as (what I think was only) ONE jersey.

On a "technically not available for sale but something fans can go home with" note, I ended up finding a foul ball that flew into the parking lot during the game, and it was branded as an "Official Baseball of The Players League" and NOT an "Old North State League" ball, so I assume other member leagues use the same ball (though proving that will be near impossible...). I will also note here that it seems that the team and/or league has instructed its players/teams to try and "conserve" baseballs: I heard a player make a joke about it during the game, and players from the Shallywags dugout would often run out to try and find foul balls that went out of play on their side of the field (first base side).

---

[^1]: There was one game scheduled for the week we were there that year, but it got cancelled, so I wouldn't have been able to see them even if I had known about the team.

[^2]: Assuming the real estate developers building new apartment complexes in the area don't ruin it first...

Sportventures

25 Years

Wilmington Sharks

Everything's OKI

Going Crabbing

A Shallywaggin' Tale