Five things to know about Columbia Fireflies’ 2019 season
The Columbia Fireflies open the 2019 season at 7:05 p.m. Thursday against the Charleston RiverDogs. Here are five things to know about the new year.
New stadium name
Spirit Communications Park is no longer. The Fireflies’ home is called Segra Park.
The change was made official in January when Spirit Communications and Lumos Networks Corp. announced that the two companies have rebranded as Segra.
Top prospects on roster
The Fireflies team taking the field Thursday against Charleston is arguably the most talented one to begin the season in the four-year history of the club.
The Opening Day roster features five of the Mets’ top 10 prospects in Ronny Mauricio (No. 3), Mark Vientos (No. 4), Shervyen Newton (No. 7), Simeon Woods-Richardson (No. 8) and Thomas Szapucki (No. 10). All but Szapucki will be under the age of 20 years old to begin the season.
Muracio and Newton are two of the Mets’ high-profile international signings with Muracio getting a $2.1 million bonus when he signed as a 17-year-old in 2018. Vientos and Woods-Richardson are the Mets’ second picks for the past two seasons.
Szapucki played with Columbia in 2016 and is coming off Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss all of last season.
Clear bag policy
Segra Park will implement a clear bag policy for the first time this year. It is similar to the ones used at NFL and other college stadiums.
Under the new policy, each fan is allowed one clear bag (plus a clutch or small purse) into the stadium that conforms to the following restrictions:
▪ Clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12 by 6 by 12 inches. A logo no larger than 4.5 by 3.4 can be displayed on one side of a permissible clear bag.
▪ One-gallon clear plastic freezer bag (Ziploc bag or similar), small clutch bags no larger than 4.5 by 6.5 — approximately the size of a hand, with or without a handle or strap.
▪ Medically necessary items and diaper bags (after proper inspection and tagging).
New team name for one series
For one series in April, the Columbia Fireflies will turn into the Chicharrónes de Columbia as part of Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversión program.
The program features 72 teams in 2019 that will change their name and logo to connect with the Latin community. The Chicharrones series is set for April 18-20 and include new uniforms, music and food for those three days.
As far as the name itself, the Chicharrónes are a pork dish featuring either pork belly or pork rinds and are a staple in the diets of people throughout Hispanic/Latin American communities.
New food options
There will be a few different food options this year for fans coming to Segra Park.
There will be a Super Gyro Cart, located by the left-field foul pole, and featuring gyros, chicken gyros, greek salad, hummus and dolmas.
Another new food station will be Mexican Street at the Street Taco cart located on the Crescent Patio.
Also, chicharrónes will be served in concession stand No. 4.
Season-opening homestand schedule
Thursday, 7:05 pm, Charleston
Friday, 7:05 pm, Charleston
Saturday, 6:05 pm, Charleston
Sunday, 2:05 pm, Charleston
Monday, 7:05 pm, Rome
Tuesday, 11:05 am, Rome
Wednesday, 11:05 am, Rome
This story was originally published April 3, 2019 at 2:42 PM.