FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The city's new minor league baseball team finally has a name: The Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

  • There were 1,300 name choices
  • A new downtown baseball stadium that will seat 5,000 spectators is being built
  • Home opener will be in April of 2019

The big reveal of the name and logo of the minor league franchise of the Houston Astros was announced at a special launch party at Festival Park Sunday afternoon. A large crowd turned out to buy hats and shirts bearing the logo of the ball club.

In an interview with Spectrum News, the team's president discussed some of the reasons for the decision to go with the name of Woodpeckers and noted some of the similarities between the woodpecker and the All-American city.

"Fayetteville is a small city, but it's a tough city. It's resilient. The woodpecker is endangered but it's not extinct. The woodpecker is integral to the long leaf pine ecosystem that we have here at Fayetteville and Fort Bragg," said Mark Zarthar.

The process for naming the team started in April of 2017. It began with more than 1,300 name choices and was eventually narrowed down to five before the Woodpecker name was finally chosen. A new downtown baseball stadium that will seat 5,000 spectators is being built now.

Opening Day for the team happens on April 4, 2019. The Woodpeckers' home opener will occur two weeks after that when the team hosts the Carolina Mudcats at their new stadium. 

 

 

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