As of June 1, the Sanford Spinners – a minor league baseball team which played at Temple Park at various times from the late 1930s to 1950 and are the subject of the first of Sanford’s now ubiquitous murals – are back.
This iteration of the Spinners will be a collegiate summer team competing in the 12 team Old North State League, which has clubs in cities across the state, including Fayetteville, Hickory, Lexington, and more.
According to a Facebook post by the Sanford Tourism Development Authority, the team will begin play in June:
The Spinners don’t appear yet on the league’s website (although a registration form for players is available), but Lexie Allred, the league’s marketing director, and Alec Allred, a league co-owner and director of baseball operations, said that should change in the next couple of days. Additionally, a coaching staff is set to be announced shortly, and the roster will be made public once it’s set in stone. Play is set to begin June 7, with players reporting on June 1.
“We try to get local players as much as possible, but we do have some who come from all around the country,” Lexie Allred said.
The season will consist of 30 games, 15 at home and 15 away. To start, the team will play at Tramway Park at Southern Lee High School, although the plan is to eventually move to the sports complex which was passed in the 2020 Lee County bond referendum. Tickets for single games will cost $6, and double header tickets will go for $10. Team merchandise should also be available soon.
“We got with the town a few months ago, and they were all about it,” Allred said. “We’d thought about bringing a team to the area for awhile, because it’s rich in baseball history, and it’s growing a lot.”
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