Shallotte Shallywags (Old North State League) @ Mike Alderson Field (Shallotte, NC)
"There once was a ship that put to sea..."
26 IN 26 STOP 21
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, 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 20241, 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 an article 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 (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 everyone2).
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, 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).
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 and Ironbound SC); 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).