The Hickory Crawdads are the South Atlantic League Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The Crawdads play in Hickory, North Carolina, and play at the LP Frans Stadium.
Recently, a tornado touched down in Hickory, and did some damage to the park, knocking down a good chunk of the outfield wall and strewing debris on the field.
Hope everyone in Hickory and surrounding cities is safe! A tornado recently touched down and did a good but of damage to the stadium! pic.twitter.com/ZAcSpfoaHQ
— Hickory Crawdads (@HickoryCrawdads) October 23, 2017
Those are some shocking pictures, and hopefully nobody in or around the stadium was injured.
Earlier this month, the Rangers, who have been affiliated with the Crawdads since 2009, outright bought the team from its previous ownership group.
“The Texas Rangers are proud and honored to make this announcement today,” said Neil Leibman, Chairman of the Texas Rangers Ownership Committee. “We are acquiring a franchise that has thrived under the stewardship of Don Beaver and his ownership for the last quarter century, and we are committed to continuing that legacy. We pledge to be a great community partner with the City of Hickory, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship.”
“On behalf of the ownership group, we would like to thank the fans for 25 years of tremendous support,” said now-former majority owner Don Beaver. “I’ve truly enjoyed owning the team alongside Charles Young and of course, my brother Luther. Without the great partnership with the city of Hickory and the vision of George Murphy and the stadium committee, Crawdads baseball wouldn’t have become a reality.
“We hate to sell the team but it’s the right thing to do to ensure that baseball stays in Hickory. The Rangers are a first-class organization that we’ve been able to experience first-hand the last nine years. The future of the team couldn’t be in more capable hands.”
What better what to “be a great community partner” than to sink money into repairing the areas, including the stadium, that were damaged by the tornado? It would be a fantastic gesture, and would be a great first step for the Rangers in their ownership of the Crawdads.
