1920 North Carolina State League — Preseason 1
Pirates, Highlanders ready to go
Introducing the NCSL's two newest teams
There was plenty of excitement in Wilmington and Fayetteville at the start of 1920 as each city introduced its new North Carolina State League baseball team to its respective community.
Here is a look at each team’s logo and jersey look.
Wilmington Pirates
Ballpark: The Pirates’ Cove
Capacity: 4,200
Notes: Wilmington’s first known professional baseball team IRL played in 1900. It didn’t have a nickname that’s known. The Wilmington Giants played in 1901, followed by several Wilmington Sailors teams from 1902-10. I personally liked Pirates as a nickname, though it came later in the city's baseball history. The jersey script for my Pirates team is taken from some old East Carolina University Pirates logos I found. I can’t remember where I found the pirate head logo. The team colors are straight from UNC Wilmington.
Fayetteville Highlanders
Ballpark: Highlanders Ballpark
Capacity: 6,000
Notes: In real life, “Highlanders” was the name of the first minor league baseball team that played in Fayetteville. The first Highlanders teams played in 1909-10 in the Eastern Carolina League. The second run of Highlanders teams played in the ECL in 1928-29. Yet another run of Highlanders teams called Fayetteville home from 1953-56. They played in the Carolina League. My jersey logo was inspired the following picture (kind of scary, eh):
The other teams’ ballparks FYI:
Asheville Tourists: Asheville Grounds, capacity 4,650
Charlotte Hornets: The Hive, capacity 5,400
Durham Bulls: Durham Athletic Park, capacity 5,000
Greensboro Patriots: Ballpark of Greensboro, capacity 4,500
Raleigh Capitals: Capital Ballpark, capacity 4,650
Winston-Salem Twins: Twins Ballpark, capacity 4,100