The Old North State League (ONSL) is bringing summer baseball back to Walker Stadium in Downtown Lenoir.
ONSL is the newest summer collegiate baseball league in North Carolina. The league has teams all across the state. Lenoir's team, Lenoir Legends, will play its first home game at Walker Stadium Sunday, June 6, at 7:00 p.m. Click here to see the full schedule.
Alec Allred and his father Reggie Allred started the league in 2018. Alec played college baseball, summer ball, and currently plays Minor League. Alec said he took his experience and worked with his dad and other family members to create a league that players would enjoy.
"The league has been very successful so far," Alec said. " I have a feeling that we’ll get good attendance this year. Raleigh, Reidsville, and Fayetteville are our largest markets and the other eight teams are in smaller communities. But we always have a lot of local players so we get a lot of fans out to games."
The Lenoir Legends are scheduled to play 15 home games at Walker Stadium.
Mayor Joe Gibbons said he's excited to have summer baseball back in the city.
"This is a good thing for Lenoir," Mayor Gibbons said. "Families will be able to come watch a game, and then grab a bite to eat or maybe some ice cream. We're glad that the Old North State League chose Lenoir."
Lenoir Legends Coach Brendan Emery played for the Lenoir Oilers and fell in love with the area when he was here.
"Lenoir’s a small town and fun to be in," Brendan said. "It’s a baseball town for sure. We’re not far from Hickory and Boone, so it’s easy to attract players to Lenoir."
ONSL is still looking for host families if anyone is interested. Click here to sign up to serve as a host family.
The other teams in the league are the Appalachian Moonshiners, Brunswick Surfin' Turfs, Deep River Muddogs, Fayetteville Chutes, High Point Hushpuppies, Lexington Flying Pigs, Mocksville Muscadines, Oak City Gliders, Reidsville Luckies, Sanford Spinners, and Swepsonville Sweepers.
Any businesses interested in sponsoring a Lenoir Legends game should email Brendan at brendanemery@oldnorthstateleague.com.
The Lenoir Legends will play home games at Walker Stadium in Downtown Lenoir.