CAROLINA BASEBALL: GAME 9
Fayetteville Woodpeckers
We head south to Fayetteville, NC, home of Fort Bragg and the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, the Low-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. We get a tour of the ballpark, I pick up a Beer Bat, and the home crowd gets fireworks after a come-from-behind victory over the Augusta GreenJackets.
We parked in the convenient downtown Fayetteville garage that sits next to Segra Stadium, across the railroad tracks from the Airborne & Special Operations Museum. In fact, Segra Stadium — home of the Fayetteville Woodpeckers, High-A affiliate of the Houston Astros — is pinned in by two separate railroads, one along third base and the other arching beyond the outfield. Only the first-base side is railroad-free.
But it’s a sharp-looking ballpark. Designed by Populous and built in 2019 for $37.8 million, Segra Stadium seats 4,768 comfortably. There are nods to the club’s proximity to Ft. Bragg throughout the ballpark, including gun-metal gray bucket seats in the main bowl.
I had been invited to take a tour of the ballpark by Woodpeckers social media. Near the team store, I met Kevin Hughes, a Sponsorship Executive for the team, and Danyel Beaver, the Woodpeckers Marketing and Communications Manager. The two walked me around the concourse.
Hughes pointed to a barbecue stand and said that food for the ballpark is catered through a separate company. They bring in samples to be photographed for the promotions. “One of the perks of my job is marketing the food and getting to taste it after I’m done,” Beaver said with a laugh.
I asked for recommendations on the best food in the ballpark, and they agreed that it’s probably the Philly cheese steak nachos and just about any burger they have. Segra Stadium also offers 30 beers on tap, 24 of them craft brews.
We passed the Kids Zone, and they described an intense search for a missing child who was just hanging out in the bounce house. They noted a fan’s camouflage Woodpeckers shirt and said how popular Airborne Appreciation Night is here (“it’s intense”). In center field, we passed the Rocking Porch, which is three levels of plastic rocking chairs, and they said that there were plans to replace it after the season.
We walked past Healy’s Bar in right field, then headed up the steps to the Landing Deck, an elevated viewpoint with patio tables and comfy seating. “We have a lot of furniture, which is nice,” Beaver said. “People love it out here. It gives it a different feel than a GA ticket.”
Beaver said that attendance had “struggled” the last couple of weeks, and she thought it had to do with a recent deployment of troops due to events unraveling in Afghanistan. “The majority of our fan base is military, and that makes sense, because that’s the majority of the population in this area.”
“There are 250,000 active-duty members on Fort Bragg, which is just right up the road,” Hughes said. “In 2019, 22% of our tickets were bought with a military discount.”
We took an elevator upstairs for a look at the luxury suites and broadcast center.
I got a chance to speak with the Voice of the Woodpeckers, Andrew Chapman (right), and fellow broadcaster Noah Moore for a few minutes before they began their work for the night.
On our way back down the hallways from the broadcast booth, I got an, um, inside look at Fayetteville mascot, Bunker, who we’d meet again later in the night.
I took one final photo of the field from the second level and thanked Hughes and Beaver for their generosity. They had been perfect hosts.
The Fayetteville Woodpeckers began life the same way the Down East Wood Ducks did — as part of the relocation of a California League team following the 2016 season. The High Desert Mavericks of Adelanto moved to Kinston to become the Wood Ducks, while the Bakersfield Blaze found a new home in Fayetteville. The team initially played as the Astros in Buies Creek, 45 mins away, while Segra Stadium was being built. Attendance was terrible (about 900 per game), but they won the league title in 2018.
Before this franchise, the last Minor League teams to play in Fayetteville were the Fayetteville Generals (1987-1996) and Cape Fear Crocs (1997-2000), a Low-A South Atlantic League franchise that eventually moved to Lakewood, New Jersey. Fayetteville fielded teams in six different leagues from 1909-1956 -- the Highlanders, Cubs, Scotties, Athletics, and the Highlanders again, before a 30-year drought.
As for the mascot, Fort Bragg has the world’s second-largest population of endangered cockaded woodpeckers, with about 12,500 birds remaining in the species. The military base’s colors are red and black. It made for a good match.
The Woodpeckers were not having their best season, now 13 games behind the division-leading Wood Ducks and well out of the playoff hunt.
The visiting Augusta GreenJackets had also struggled in 2021, and especially so on the road. By late August, they were 30-18 at home, 10-38 on the road.
The game began as shadows made their way toward the mound. Augusta got out of the gate with a run on two hits in the first, but Fayetteville came back with two hits and two walks, and they led 2-1 after one. When the first of Fayetteville’s two runs crossed the plate, the man directly behind us cranked an air siren loud enough to be heard from Raleigh. He claimed he had been given special approval for this nuisance. For the rest of the game, every good play for the Wood Peckers carried with it the threat of sonic harm.
With the game settling in, I got up to gather dinner. The ballpark features a variety of cleverly named concessions stands, each representing a famous character in local lore — Astros legend Jeff Bagwell; Sgt. Stubby, a dog who was the official mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment in World War I; and Lt. Gen. Albert J. Bowley Sr., who commanded Fort Bragg from 1921-28.
Dad and I both had the foot-long brat. I asked for a verdict. “It’s great,” Dad said, “just mustard and meat.” And I had my first-ever beer bat filled with Man of Law American IPA from nearby Southern Pines Brewing Co. I could not have been happier.
I took a second walk around the concourse. It was Dino Night at the ballpark, with displays, themed scoreboard designs, music from Juraissic Park, and a puppeteer roaming the park, posing as a raptor.
Fayetteville first baseman Justin Williams hit a homer in the bottom of the third, but Augusta answered in the top of the next frame with two runs of their own, tying the game, 3-3.
I stopped inside The Bird’s Nest, the Woodpeckers team store. This time, I did not come away with a hat but rather a t-shirt emblazoned with “GO PECKERS” in all caps. I could not help myself.
The GreenJackets took the lead in the top of the seventh on a pair of hits. Again, the opposition had an immediate reply. Woodpeckers left fielder Quincy Hamilton first tied it with an RBI single. Then, with bases loaded, third baseman Chad Stevens drove the ball to deep right for a triple. Fayetteville led 7-4.
Late in the game, the charming Airhorn Man behind us began picking on two Augusta players with identically luxurious golden locks standing at the rail of the GreenJackets dugout. He shouted at them to shake their hair and asked about their shampoo regimen. The players laughed along.
Augusta could not muster a comeback. Bunker, fresh off some fine dance moves during a break, came over to the GreenJackets fan sitting next to me and offered his hand in friendship (or condolences). He then came over to me and posed for a photo with Dad.
Our incredible night — a personal tour, a beer bat, Bunker, and a win for the home team — finished off with another night of fireworks.
