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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,

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Atlantic League Adds West Virginia, Releases Schedule

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The Atlantic League officially welcomed the West Virginia Power, bringing the league to eight teams.

The complete 2021 schedule has also been released.

ATLANTIC LEAGUE WELCOMES WEST VIRGINIA POWER


MLB’s First Professional Partner League at Eight Communities with Addition of Charleston, WV

(February 24, 2021, New York) – The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball announced today it has welcomed the West Virginia Power to the Atlantic League. The addition of the Charleston, West Virginia, club brings the league’s membership to eight teams for the 2021 Championship Season.

The West Virginia Power began in 1987 as the Charleston Wheelers and served as an affiliate of seven MLB teams while in the South Atlantic League. They played under the monikers of the Wheelers and AlleyCats before adopting the name West Virginia Power in 2005 with the opening of Appalachian Power Park, located in the east end of Charleston. The team is managed by an ownership group led by Managing Partner and CEO Andy Shea.

“We are very excited about joining the Atlantic League and bringing a significantly higher level of talent to the field,” Shea said. “Off the field, we are delighted to expand on the affordable family fun at Appalachian Power Park. The Atlantic League is the premier MLB Partner League, and we are sincerely grateful for the City of Charleston, State of West Virginia, and Major League Baseball for helping make this happen. This is a truly great day for professional baseball in Charleston.”

“We are thrilled to welcome the Power to the Atlantic League and to play a part in the baseball heritage of a community that has passionately supported baseball,” said Atlantic League President Rick White. “We are privileged to play in West Virginia’s capital city and congratulate the Power organization and all their fans. We look forward to the competitive play the Power will bring to the Atlantic League.”

“We congratulate the Power and the City of Charleston on this exciting announcement that will keep professional baseball in West Virginia,” said Morgan Sword, Major League Baseball’s Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Atlantic League to grow the sport.”

With the addition of the Power and the Lexington Legends, who joined the league last week, the Atlantic League divisions will be reconfigured into a new North and South alignment. The league’s North Division will feature the Lancaster Barnstormers, Long Island Ducks, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, and York Revolution. The South Division will include the Power, Legends, and the league’s two North Carolina teams, the High Point Rockers and the Gastonia Honey Hunters, who are also playing their inaugural slate in 2021. 

“We are happy to have quickly restored our eight-team format and to have done so by attracting such successful organizations,” White added.

ATLANTIC LEAGUE ANNOUNCES 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON SCHEDULE

MLB’s First Professional Partner League Launches 120-Game Season May 27 in Circuit’s Newest Ballpark

The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball released their 2021 season schedule. The ALPB’s 23rd season of baseball will be the first of its kind, following a 2020 baseball hiatus due to COVID-19.  

The 2021 season will feature a 120-game regular season schedule, with each team hosting 60 matchups. The league’s traditional 140-game season was trimmed due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gastonia will be spotlighted in the first game of the 2021 season when the Honey Hunters open their series against the visiting Lancaster Barnstormers on Thursday, May 27, in the North Carolina community’s new FUSE ballpark. The remainder of the league’s clubs will be in action Friday, May 28, with Lexington visiting the Long Island Ducks, the High Point Rockers traveling to the York Revolution, and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs going to West Virginia, where the Power will host their first ALPB game.

  The coming season will also mark the debut of the Atlantic League’s reconfigured divisions, which now reflect a North-South alignment.

The league’s North Division features the Lancaster (PA) Barnstormers, Long Island (NY) Ducks, Southern Maryland (Waldorf) Blue Crabs, and York (PA) Revolution.

The South Division includes the West Virginia (Charleston) Power, Lexington (KY) Legends, High Point (NC) Rockers, and Gastonia (NC) Honey Hunters. 

“Any new season is an exciting time for our league,” said Atlantic League President Rick White. “But coming back after an 18-month hiatus and doing so with three great new communities may be the most exciting start of an Atlantic League Championship Season since our very first. We are thrilled to welcome the cities of Gastonia, Lexington, and Charleston.”

 For the complete 2021 Atlantic League Championship Season, go to www.AtlanticLeague.com/schedule.