Brunswick County can look forward to more baseball this summer with three local teams battling it out on area diamonds. In addition to the Oak Island Loggerheads and the Shallotte Shallywags, who started playing last summer, Leland will be home to its very own summer league team.

The Old North State League’s Coastal Division is expanding within Brunswick County, with its newest team hailing from Leland. The Leland team’s initial name was in the process of being changed as of December. But officials are building the team with college baseball players who want the experience and competition.

Team owners Rob and Emily Good purchased the developmental league franchise to support college baseball players as they develop their skills while competing against other Division 1 and 2 players throughout the summer months.

The team’s general manager, Tom Lamont, served with the Coastal Plain League for six years as the director of community relations for the Wilmington Sharks, and he said he sees a great deal of potential to expand the game within Brunswick County.

“It is exciting to have another new team in the region and within these three communities. It is great to have rivalries between the towns and continue the development of Brunswick County,” Lamont said.

The league uses wood bats, giving college players a unique opportunity to experience what professional teams use, even though college programs use metal bats. 

With a roster of 35 players, most of whom will be from outside the region, Lamont wants to give the college students the opportunity not only to grow as baseball players but also as people.

“We want them to see the culture of Southeastern North Carolina, to see the Cape Fear region and to experience the Cape Fear,” Lamont said. 

To make this happen, host families are needed to provide players with a home over the summer.  The league is asking community members with an available room at home to volunteer and provide these young players with a place to call home for the summer.

“We are asking Brunswick County families to step up and host a player. It is a big commitment for two months, but it is so worthwhile to have that experience,” Lamont said.

While they ask this of the community, the league gives a lot back. The leagueat the end of last year completed a Jingle Ball campaign to collect new recreational balls for all sports, which will be distributed to Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina and to foster children in Brunswick and New Hanover counties.

Another philanthropic venture Lamont is excited about is a literacy program that focuses on building reading skills in local schools by providing students with incentives, such as free tickets to a baseball game.

The Leland team will play at North Brunswick High School, start practices in late May, play games in June and July and could run into early August for playoffs.

“It is all about family and family fun,” Lamont said. “Baseball provides an opportunity for families to come out, unwind and enjoy good food and something fun for the whole family. Leland is a great baseball town. Little League teams are very strong in the area.”

James Boatwright, the general manager of the Oak Island Loggerheads, said the league offers players the experience they need to excel at the game while still enjoying their summer.

In March 2023, the Old North State League signed an agreement to become the first Partner League of The Players League, which Boatwright explains focuses on player health.

“Our philosophy echoes what the whole league stands for: The best time of your life as an athlete is your summer league time,” Boatwright said. 

He added, “It is all about family. There has been a shift away from the family atmosphere, and not a whole lot of affordable entertainment for a family of four. Kids are what it is all about, and the games we play in between innings and the autograph sessions after the games and our mascots are all focused on the kids.”

The Oak Island Loggerheads will play at the newly upgraded Bill Smith Park in Oak Island, and the Shallotte Scallywags will play at Mike Alderson Field on the campus of West Brunswick High School.

Interested host families can find more information on the teams’ websites.