5 things to know about Lexington County Blowfish and 2019 season
Opening night for the 2019 Lexington County Blowfish season is 7:05 p.m. Thursday against the Forest City Owls at Lexington County Baseball Stadium. Here are five things to know about the team:
1. Blowfish background
The Blowfish are a summer collegiate baseball team in the Coastal Plain League. The team was founded in 2006 in Columbia and played at Capital City Stadium from 2006-2014.
The Blowfish moved to Lexington at the end of the 2014 season and began playing at the new Lexington County Stadium in 2015.
The team is known as the “Blowfish” in honor of the Columbia-born band Hootie & the Blowfish.
“In 1993 coming off their world tour, the band needed a place to have their homecoming concert, and we were blessed that over 11,000 people came out to Capital City Stadium to enjoy Hootie & and the Blowfish’s return home,” Blowfish co-owner Bill Shanahan said. “I’ve never forgot what they did, and I wanted to honor them by naming the team the Blowfish.”
Shanahan also said the Blowfish honors the band by playing one of their songs between an inning at each home game.
2. In-state talent
Blowfish players are recruited from colleges and universities across the state and nation.
Two Gamecock players (Jordan Holladay and Josiah Sightler) and three Clemson players (Sheldon Reed, Michael Greene and Bo Majkowski) are among 28 players on the current roster from colleges and universities in South Carolina.
Several Midlands high schools are also represented on the roster, such as Gilbert, Lexington, River Bluff, Swansea, Columbia and Dutch Fork.
“A really important part of what we do is to have local, home-grown talent playing here at Lexington County Baseball Stadium for the summer,” Shanahan said. “This is Lexington County’s home team.”
3. The stadium
Lexington County Baseball Stadium’s field dimensions are similar to four Major League Baseball ballparks of today. The right field foul pole is 302 feet (Fenway Park), and centerfield is 394 feet (Wrigley Field). The left field foul pole is 318 feet (Yankee Stadium), and from home plate to the backstop is 55 feet (Dodger Stadium).
The stadium’s capacity is 2,375, but it has held over 3,000 standing room only. The stadium also hosted the Big South Conference Baseball Tournament from 2016-2018.
4. New theme for 2019
The team will have a special logo and new jerseys this season to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the South Carolina State Fair. The jerseys will eventually be auctioned off for a good cause.
“The last game of the season, we will auction the jerseys off and raise proceeds for the State Fair’s high school scholarship program,” Shanahan said. “A Lexington County student will be awarded scholarship money that we raise from these jerseys.”
The stadium concession stands will serve fair foods, including corn dogs, fried oreos, funnel fries, doughnut burgers and special popcorns.
The team will also have promotional games, such as a reading fair for children, fireworks every Friday and Saturday night home game, Thursday $1 drinks and “Dog Day Tuesday,” where dogs get in free with a paid person.
5. A new guy to lead the arms
The Blowfish hired Shawn Torbett as their new pitching coach in 2019. Torbett has over 20 years of coaching experience from his time at Lexington, Brookland-Cayce, A.C. Flora and Gilbert high schools.
“He has tremendous experience and knows pretty much every high school player in the Midlands,” Shanahan said. “He has a keen eye and sense of local players that would be a great fit for the team. I believe he’s going to be a great addition to our staff.”
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Blowfish 2019 roster
Number/Name/College/Position
1 Trace Whetsell (Limestone) INF
2 James McConnon (St. Joes) C
3 Jimmy Marcelli (Presbyterian) INF
4 Ryan Flores (Lander) LHP
5 Tyler Corbitt (The Citadel) INF
6 Peyton Evans (Florence Darlington Tech) RHP
7 Josh Asbill (Charleston Southern) INF
8 Josh Gregory (Lander) OF
9 Luis Acevedo (Shorter) INF
10 Kitt Capell (Western Carolina) C
11 Ashby Smith (Presbyterian College) INF
12 Lee Metts (USC-Sumter) INF
13 Zachaeus Rasberry (Presbyterian College) OF
14 Jacob Rye (USC-Aiken) RHP
15 Brady Smith (North Greenville) RHP
16 Sheldon Reed (Clemson) RHP
17 Daniel Rutherford (Florence Darlington Tech) LHP
18 Brett Fulk (Lenoir Rhyne) RHP
19 Josh Senter (North Greenville) OF
20 Jordan Beatson (Furman) RHP
21 Jordan Holladay (South Carolina) INF
22 Houston Wright (Spartanburg Methodist) INF
23 Grayson Stoneking (Presbyterian College) RHP
24 Josiah Sightler (South Carolina) LHP, INF, OF
25 Shane Connolly (The Citadel) LHP
32 Will Abbott (The Citadel) RHP
No Number Yet, Yet to Report
Bo Majkowski (Clemson) OF
Michael Green (Clemson) OF
Jared Kirven (College of Charleston) C
Zach Williams (College of Charleston) RHP
Mason Groves (Winthrop) RHP
Turner Scruggs (Winthrop) RHP