After the Curveball: New Team Unveiled After Uncertainty

By: Grace Smith – Wise News Network

GASTONIA, NC (WNN) – A new Atlantic League Professional Baseball (ALPB) team has decided to make CaroMont Health Park its home. This development comes after months of uncertainty surrounding the park and the former team, the Gastonia Honey Hunters. 

In November 2023, Gastonia sued N.C. Gas House Gang, LLC, owners of the Honey Hunters, for breach of contract. The complaint highlighted multiple contract breaches, specifically involving maintenance of the park and delayed naming rights payments.

Additionally, the former owners defaulted on employee’s paychecks numerous times. N.C. Gas House Gang filed for bankruptcy in December 2023, after the legal battle with Gastonia.

The city took legal action to protect its investment. CaroMont Health Park is a $26 million project that has been in the works for many years. The park is a vital part of Gastonia’s plans to revitalize downtown. 

On February 7, 2024, city officials, ALPB representatives, and new team owners announced the park’s game plan in a press conference. The sentiments from the conference were hopeful as the collaborators looked to the future. 

The Mayor of Gastonia, Richard Franks, opened the press conference by thanking the City Council. He emphasized how they worked tirelessly to navigate the legal situation. He is hopeful that the hard work will pay off. 

“One of the things that I learned in playing sports is the power of teamwork, the power of comradery and the power of tenacity. These six folks here, along with the city staff, have had tenacity,” said Mayor Franks. 

Rick White is the President of ALPB. He thanked the residents of Gastonia for their patience during this transitional period. He also apologized for the setback in the overarching plan for CaroMont Park. 

“Our organization on the ground in Gastonia over the past couple of years took what could best be characterized as a left turn, and it was a left turn off of the tracks. That was never the intention of the league.” said White. 

He briefly commented on a pending counter lawsuit, filed by the owners of N.C. Gas House Gang on January 22, 2024. The complaint alleges that the City of Gastonia and the ALPB worked together to kick the Honey Hunters out of CaroMont Park “through predatory and coercive behavior.”

Due to the ongoing legal situation, White was unable to discuss details of the countersuit.

“Regrettably and not by our hand, we are now engaged in litigation with the former owner.” said White.

Despite the pending legal actions, Gastonia and the ALPB have taken steps to move forward by signing a deal with Zawyer Sports and Entertainment. The sporting company will take over as owner of the Gastonia baseball team.

Zawyer, an experienced sports franchising entity, possesses and manages numerous ice hockey franchises. Gastonia’s team is Zawyer’s first baseball team. 

Andy Kaufmann is the CEO of Zawyer. Described by Mayor Frank as “the friendliest man in America,” Kaufmann has pledged to repair the relationships between city residents and the incoming team. 

One initiative Zawyer will take is paying back all the debts from the previous owners. 

“A few things we want to do ASAP, starting with the employees and our staff that even before our predecessor filed for bankruptcy, may not have been paid, we are going to show you are loved by paying you 100 cents on the dollar for everything you have earned.” said Kaufmann.

The prior owners failed to distribute employee paychecks on numerous occasions and regularly fell short of other financial obligations. Kaufmann said that Zawyer would reimburse vendors and any local businesses as well. 

“Your warmth and enthusiasm for your community and what we plan on doing here together was a huge, huge motivating factor for us to come [here].” said Kaufmann. 

After addressing the financial obligations of the new owners, Kaufmann announced the new team name. Temporarily, the baseball team will be called the Gastonia Baseball Club. 

“The reason we’re just the Gastonia Baseball Club at the moment is because we want to get it right; At the end of the day, we are not the ownership group of the Gastonia baseball team. It’s you.” said Kaufmann. 

Residents have the opportunity to vote for the new team name. This season, Zawyer will host “What If Weekends.” where community members can submit name ideas for the new team. 

Community members can submit name ideas through a link. During the next off-season, Zawyer will finalize the name based on community input.

The Gastonia Baseball Club retained key staff, including team manager Mauro “Goose” Gozzo and hitting coach Chuck Stewart. Gozzo praised the team’s staff for their work, stating he is excited about this new chapter. 

“I can assure you that the product on the field is not going to change. We’re going to continue to do what we’ve done.”said Gozzo. 

In 2023, the Honey Hunters held a record of 79 wins and 47 losses. The team won more than 60% of its games under Gozzo’s leadership. The manager intends to keep a strong performance record with the new team.

The deal between Gastonia, ALPB and Zawyer will ensure that the past does not repeat itself. According to WBTV, the ALPB will pay the city $50,000 a year to support this venture. Additionally, the team will hold 200 events at the park per year. 

The Gastonia Baseball Club will debut on April 25, 2024, at CaroMont Health Park.

As the Gastonia Baseball Club undergoes this transition, the residents of Gastonia await the incoming baseball season. Putting the troubles of past seasons in the rearview mirror, Gastonia, ALPB, and Zawyer press ahead. Only time will tell if these efforts can save the multi-million dollar investment. 

What should the Gastonia Baseball Club be named? Submit your ideas to this link: 

• https://www.gastoniabaseballclub.com/name-your-team?fbclid=IwAR1mw1McQvG3GlsVfrwOdwLgTHvnINjV4gEMp6f1zd8yRa4SFG0nddU1wtM

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