Gastonia baseball team holds tryouts for inaugural season following Honey Hunters lawsuit

GASTONIA, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — On a rainy Tuesday at CaroMont Health Park, the faint sound of the crack of a bat serves as a sign that baseball is nearly back.

“Any time baseball season rolls around, I get pretty excited,” said Gastonia Baseball Club third baseman Jacob Hoover. “I’ve had a permanent grin on since I got here, even on a crappy day like this with the rain.”

There are still signs, literally, that the ballpark was once the home of the Gastonia Honey Hunters. Those along with all honeycomb designs will come down before the Atlantic League’s opening day on April 25.

NC Gas House Gang, which owns the Honey Hunters, is going through bankruptcy and got kicked out of the ballpark. They’re now entangled in a lawsuit with the City of Gastonia.

“It’s been an extremely long off-season, but of course we’re excited,” said club General Manager Brady Salisbury. “This is kind of like one of the first pages of the new chapter here with the Gastonia Baseball Club.”

Despite the ongoing legal battle, the team store is getting stocked with Gastonia Baseball Club memorabilia, and its new owner , Andy Kaufmann with Florida-based Zawyer Sports and Entertainment, is moving forward.

“We are, I believe, the sixth team that he’s owned,” Salisbury said. “Recently, he has a big background in hockey. Some (minor league teams), so we’re going to be his first new baseball team he has here, so we’re really excited about that, but he’s got a background of actually managing sports teams, which is going to be a very nice change for us.”

At Tuesday’s open tryout, almost a dozen players are hoping they can earn a spot.

“You get to see a lot of guys who either have been overlooked in a lot of different systems, or have had opportunities cut short, or are towards the end of their careers and are still really good, and had the opportunity to play at the next level,” said Hoover, “So if you’re just looking to come and enjoy the game, I think it’d be a great opportunity to come here and watch us play some good baseball and hopefully continue winning as we been over the last few seasons.”

The team does already have a full roster and will start Spring Training next Monday. They plan to have six or seven “what if” nights when they will explore a permanent team name and mascot, with community input. This year, they’ll stick with Gastonia Baseball Club.

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