The new owner of the Elizabeth City River City Skippers will be a familiar face at Holmes Field this summer.
Dr. Kenneth Wasserman purchased the Skippers last fall and he and his wife were busily unpacking things at the apartment they have rented for the summer Wednesday morning, just hours before the team’s first practice and picture day.
The Skippers will begin their second season in the Old North State League on Saturday when they take on the Pasquotank Potato Heads in a non-league game at 7 p.m. Wilson visits Sunday at 6 p.m.
Wasserman, of Philadelphia, said he will be a hands-on owner, taking an active part in the day-to-day running of the organization while attending every game. That will also include putting his decades of medical experience to use.
Helping baseball players is old hat for Wasserman.
Wasserman closed his medical practice in Philadelphia during the COVID-19 pandemic but he still serves as a team dermatologist for the Baltimore Orioles. Wasserman also worked for the New York Yankees in the 1990s.
“I ran the skin cancer program for Major League Baseball for about 22 years,” Wasserman said.
Wasserman said purchasing the Skippers was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass up. The success of the team drawing fans to the ballpark along the Pasquotank River during its inaugural run last summer played a big part in his decision, he said.
“It’s a good opportunity to further baseball in a city that didn’t have baseball before,” Wasserman said. “I feel like the population is baseball starved because they don’t have anything really close, something they can identify with.”
The city and Skippers earlier this year agreed to a lease that will keep the team in the city for the next 10 years. Wasserman said the lease gives the Skippers the stability needed for the organization to make investments in the team.
Tops on that list is installing additional seating at Holmes Field. The lease agreement noted that the team plans to invest around $200,000 in new bleacher seating, which Wasserman hopes will begin after the 2024 season ends in late July.
“It was too hard to get it financed and arranged before this season,” Wasserman said. “We are looking at increasing capacity by up to 1,000 extra seats. I need to see how the layout works as we move into the summer. I’ve heard we have had up to 1,000 fans on fireworks nights.’’
The Edenton Steamers will play in the ONSL this season and Wasserman said that is a ready-made rivalry for the Skippers.
“I’ve heard the Steamers have a big fan base that will drive to Elizabeth City,” Wasserman said. “I’ve heard Elizabeth City and Edenton have a pretty big rivalry in their high school sports.”
Wasserman’s twin sons — Jared and Jason Wasserman — are on the Skippers’ roster. Jared Wasserman plays third base while Jason Wasserman plays centerfield.
“They have played baseball since they were 3 years old,” Wasserman said. “They are excited to be part of the city. They got here Tuesday and they were asking me what the downtown was like. They are excited to explore the Outer Banks.”
The Old North State League is a wood-bat league that mainly attracts Division II, Division III or junior college players, or just-graduated high school players heading to that level of college baseball. Each roster has around 30 players.
The Old North State League featured 16 teams last summer but the league has added four new teams, including the Steamers. The Skippers and Steamers will be in the league’s Northeastern Division this summer. The five-team division also includes the Tarboro River Bandits, the New Bern Southpaws and the Kinston Wingmen.
The entire 20-team league includes teams stretching from the western part of the state all the way to eastern North Carolina.
The Skippers will play a 40-game schedule, evenly split between home and away games. They will face Edenton six times during the season with three games being played at Holmes Field.
For Skippers’ ticket and schedule information go to https://www.rivercityskippers.com.
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