The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganization of the minor leagues. The league temporarily operated for the 2021 season as the High-A East before reassuming its original moniker in 2022.
The Rome Emperors are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They are located in Rome, Georgia, and play their home games at AdventHealth Stadium. From 2003 to 2023, the team was known as the Rome Braves. They served as Atlanta's Class A affiliate before being elevated to High-A with the restructuring of the minor league system in 2021. Rome is the longest-tenured partner club of the Atlanta Braves.
The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dirty Birds have played their home games at GoMart Ballpark since 2005.
The Lexington Counter Clocks are an American professional baseball team based in Lexington, Kentucky. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a "partner league" of Major League Baseball. The Counter Clocks have played their home games at Counter Clocks Field since 2001.
The Hagerstown Suns were a Minor League Baseball team based in Hagerstown, Maryland. They were a member of the South Atlantic League and, from 2007 through 2020, were the Class A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They played their home games at Municipal Stadium which was opened in 1930 and seats 4,600 people. The team mascot was Woolie, a giant woolly bear caterpillar.
Pelicans Ballpark is located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and is the home field of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs in the Carolina League. The stadium, located just off Highway 17 in Myrtle Beach, opened in 1999. It holds up to 6,599 people. Since its opening, it has been the finish point of the annual Myrtle Beach Marathon, held annually in March.
Capital City Stadium is a stadium in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Originally built in 1927, it is primarily used for baseball and was the home for more than 20 years of the Capital City Bombers. It is situated in the Olympia section, near the old Olympia Mill.
The Western Carolinas League was a Class D and a low Class A (1963–79) full-season league in American minor league baseball. The WCL changed its name prior to the 1980 season and has been known since as the South Atlantic League, a Class A circuit with teams up the Eastern Seaboard from Georgia to New Jersey.
The Peninsula Pilots are an amateur baseball team in the Coastal Plain League, collegiate summer baseball league. The team plays its home games at the War Memorial Stadium in Hampton, Virginia. The Pilots first started participating in the Coastal Plain League in 2000. The Pilots are coached by Hank Morgan, a former player at Virginia Military Institute and Christopher Newport University.
The Florence Flamingos are an amateur baseball team that plays in Florence, South Carolina. The Flamingos are part of the Coastal Plain League, the collegiate summer baseball league located in the American Southeast.
Kip McKey Bouknight is an American professional baseball pitcher who most recently played with the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
The Gastonia Grizzlies were a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team played its home games at Sims Legion Park in Gastonia, North Carolina, where they were known for their unique promotional events and fireworks shows. It was reported in October 2020 that the team was moving to Spartanburg, South Carolina starting with the 2021 season. The team's new name was announced as the Spartanburgers.
Jonathan Kent Johnson is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for six seasons. He played for the Texas Rangers from 1998 to 2001, the San Diego Padres in 2002, and the Houston Astros in 2003.
The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West End, and their mascot is a frog named Reedy Rip'it.
The Columbia Senators was the first name of an American minor league baseball franchise representing Columbia, South Carolina, in the original South Atlantic League. Currently, Columbia is home of the Columbia Fireflies in the South Atlantic League.
Gary R. Gilmore is an American college baseball coach who is currently the head coach of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. He has held the position since the start of the 1996 season. Coastal Carolina has qualified for 17 NCAA tournaments, most recently in 2022. In 2016, the team made its first appearance in the College World Series and won the 2016 NCAA National Championship. He was elected to the ABCA Hall of Fame in 2022.
The Columbia Fireflies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Columbia, South Carolina, and are the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. Their home stadium is Segra Park. The team was previously known as the Savannah Sand Gnats (1995–2015); they relocated from Savannah, Georgia, after the 2015 season. They are the only professional baseball team in Columbia, and the first since the Capital City Bombers moved to Greenville, South Carolina, after the 2004 season.
The Savannah Bananas are an exhibition barnstorming baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. The team was founded in 2016 and has played at Grayson Stadium since its inaugural season. Until 2022, the Bananas competed as a collegiate summer baseball team in the Coastal Plain League's (CPL) West division, where they won three Petitt Cup championships. However, after the growth of their alternate "Banana Ball" format, the team transitioned entirely to exhibition games against their partner touring teams, the Party Animals, the Firefighters, and other "challenger" professional teams, similar to the decades-long format of basketball's Harlem Globetrotters and their partner touring team, the Washington Generals. The team has been featured by ESPN, The Wall Street Journal, and Sports Illustrated because of its on-field hijinks and viral videos.
Lexington County Baseball Stadium is a baseball stadium in Lexington, South Carolina. It is the home field of the Lexington County Blowfish of the Coastal Plain League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The stadium holds 2,573 spectators. The venue hosted the Big South Conference baseball tournament from 2016 through 2018.
The Spartanburgers are a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Coastal Plain League. The team plays its home games at Duncan Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The team, formerly the Gastonia Grizzlies, relocated from Gastonia, North Carolina for the 2021 season. The team name, announced in February 2021, is just the one word, not using the city name. On December 21, 2020 Wesley Brown was named head coach. The team played their first game on May 27, 2021, losing at home to the Lexington County Blowfish.
