Tag Archives: Atlantic league

Independent Ball

Indy Ball Shake Up Announced

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Today, the American Association and Frontier League (now known as the National Association of Professional Baseball – NAPB) officially announced the Kane County Cougars and Cleburne Railroaders are moving between the MLB Partner Leagues.

In addition, the Atlantic League has announced that the Gastonia Ghost Peppers have withdrawn from the league.

Frontier League (NAPB) Press Release:

AVON, OH – The Cleburne Railroaders and Kane County Cougars, owned by REV Entertainment, announced today their intention to join the Frontier League — to be known as the National Association of Professional Baseball (NAPB) — for the 2027 season. 

The Railroaders and Cougars have previously been members of the American Association of Professional Baseball. The Railroaders play at Cleburne, Texas’s La Moderna Field, while the Cougars play in Geneva, Illinois, at Northwestern Medicine Field. 

Cleburne would represent the League’s first-ever team located in Texas, while Kane County would be the fifth team currently located in Illinois and fourth in the Chicagoland area.

The addition of the two teams would be the League’s first expansion since 2025, when the Mississippi Mud Monsters and Down East Bird Dawgs joined the Frontier League. 

REV Entertainment owns both the Railroaders and Cougars, as well as the League’s Schaumburg Boomers. “We are honored to welcome Cleburne and Kane County as our newest members,” said Steve Tahsler, Commissioner of the Frontier League (NAPB). “Cleburne adds another MLB metropolitan market to our lineup in a location with a tremendous baseball history, while Kane County has been one of the top performing operations in professional baseball for more than 30 years.”

Changes to divisional alignment and the League’s schedule will be announced at a later date.

Atlantic League Press Release:

The Atlantic League learned earlier today that Zawyer Sports & Entertainment has decided to withdraw its Gastonia team from the ALPB. As mentioned in the Zawyer statement, the league will work closely with them and the City of Gastonia to identify new opportunities for the community.

These changes will necessitate changes in both leagues. As the NAPB release states, there will be a divisional realignment with the addition of the two teams. The news I have been hearing is that the Washington WildThings will be the team that moves to the Atlantic Division from the Midwest.

As for the Atlantic League, they will need a complete schedule change as they have previously released a calendar with Gastonia. The league will either need to pick up a team, have a road team, or ultimately see another team leave the league. The league, which was once considered the best independent league in the country, is down to nine teams and in a rough spot with multiple of them.

Stay tuned to Indy Ball Island for any further updates during the off season.

Independent Ball

Amid Financial and Legal Issues, Atlantic League Terminates Membership with Gastonia Honey Hunters

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During the summer, the Gastonia Honey Hunters finanical struggles came to light.

In July, players refused to take the field to bring attention to their unpaid salaries. Staff members also saw significant delays in receiving their paychecks.

The city of Gastonia also came after the team for over $80,000 in unpaid rent and related services for the use of Caromont Health Park.

In the midst of the season, with the Gastonia Honey Hunters fighting for a playoff spot (that ultimately led to them losing in the championship series), the Atlantic League stepped in and paid the city and players everything that was owed.

Ballpark Digest reported at the beginning of August that it appeared as though all of the back pay was caught up and the team continued playing as normal.

But, it seems as if the Atlantic League will not be supporting the Gastonia Honey Hunters any further.

Today, the Gastonia Gazette reported that the Atlantic League has terminated their membership with the Honey Hunters siting more than $1 million dollars in debt.

The lawsuit, filed Friday by the city of Gastonia, alleges that real estate magnate Brandon Bellamy, the president of the company that operates the Honey Hunters, received a letter Aug. 28 stating that the team was in violation of the Atlantic League Bylaws and the League Affiliation Agreement. Essentially, the letter said, if the team did make efforts to pay its debts and improve its financial standing, its membership in the league would be revoked. Bellamy also received a letter Sept. 11 stating that his company was in default for failure to pay an outstanding debt. The team owes the league more than $1.1 million, according to the lawsuit. 

Gastonia Gazette

Check out today’s article (November 22, 2023) from the Gastonia Gazette for more details about the financial debts and the lawsuit filed last Friday by the city of Gastonia against the Honey Hunters,