High Point University's Oliver Cush sets to crush a home run for the Carolina Disco Turkeys in a Blue Ridge League game from 2025. The league is expanding with three teams this season in South Carolina, including one in Inman. Photo courtesy of The Blue Ridge League.
While the town of Inman has long been associated with American Legion summer baseball, this summer promises to take the game to a higher level with the addition of a new team from the Blue Ridge League.
The team is so new that it doesn’t yet have a name, but beginning this May will play its home games at historic Jim Everhart Field, a mill stadium icon of Upstate summer league baseball.
“We will have eight teams this season, including three in South Carolina,” said Blue Ridge League chairman Greg Sullivan. “This region produces an enormous number of college baseball players, and many of them are looking for a competitive summer environment close to home.”
Schedules haven’t been released yet, but Sullivan anticipates a first home game the weekend after Memorial Day. And the new Inman team is not only expected to be a League anchor, but to create a hit that will have fans coming out in the summer heat to enjoy.
“Inman specifically stood out to us as a great baseball town where the sport has long been part of the culture,” Sullivan said. “When you walk through the mill village layout, you can see how Jim Everhart Field has historically served as a central community gathering place, and that kind of setting is exactly what summer collegiate baseball thrives in.”
Inaugural head coach Henry Lech is already preparing for the first pitch.
“My goal is to build a team that respects the game, respects their teammates, and competes with physicality and tenacity every time they step on the field,” said Lech, a 20-year military veteran. “Baseball, like the military, is built on discipline, preparation, and trust in the people beside you. I’m honored for the opportunity to lead this team and represent Spartanburg County.”
The new team will be joined by the Joanna Hornets, also playing in a mill stadium, dating from the 1920's, in rural Joanna, S.C.; and another as-yet unnamed franchise that will operate out of Greenwood.
Opponents will include squads from Virginia and North Carolina, including Winston-Salem’s Disco Turkeys; Charlotte’s Queen City Corndogs; Albemarle’s Uwharrie Wampus Cats; and the Marion Hungry Mothers in Marion, Va.
All teams will be fan-facing – which means they will run theme nights, local partnerships, and promotions, including mascots to entertain fans in a relaxed community experience.
“Most of our home games are scheduled for weekends, so it becomes a fun and affordable local event,” Sullivan said. “The baseball on the field is important, but the community experience around it is just as important.”
And that experience is working. While attendance varies by market, Sullivan said established teams typically draw around 500 fans for weekend games – and that special occasions, such as opening night or July 4 – can draw significantly larger crowds.
“Games feature college players from programs across the country competing with wood bats during the summer, giving fans an up-close look at rising talent,” he said. “The Upstate of South Carolina has some incredible baseball history, and we're excited to help write a next chapter.”
