Without playing a single game, SC baseball team honored as best in minor league

They’ve got a real nice stadium in downtown Greenville, and now the Greenville Drive have a real nice award.

For the second time in eight years, the Drive earned the Bob Freitas Award from Baseball America, given to honor the top Single-A club.

“The Drive was singled out for its innovation in maintaining its critical role as a linchpin of the Greenville community, even in the absence of games, through efforts to combat COVID-19, fight hunger, improve education and to continue to offer fun and family-friendly opportunities for the community to come together safely,” the announcement from Baseball America said.

The team was recognized for teacher appreciation events, advanced manufacturing and engineering virtual events, Christ Church Episcopal School and Greenville Tech Charter High School graduations as well as various COVID-19 relief efforts, health projects and other community events.

“The Greenville Drive has long been known as Greenville’s front porch because of our ability to bring the community together,” Greenville Drive General Manager Eric Jarinko was quoted as saying in the release. “This year has presented previously unimagined challenges to our ability to live up to that billing, so we have gotten creative and expanded our efforts to be a force for good and a source of hope in Greenville.”

Baseball America annually honors a franchise from each of Minor League Baseball’s levels — Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A and Short-Season/Rookie. Other teams honored were Eugene Emeralds (short season), Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Double A) and El Paso Chihuahuas (triple A).

The Drive is the South Atlantic League affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and have played in Greenville since 2006 at Fluor Field in downtown Greenville.

This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 12:38 PM.