KINSTON, N.C. (WNCT) — A big announcement Tuesday at Grainger Stadium is taking the Kinston community by storm.
“I am thrilled to share some exciting news about the future of baseball in Kinston! Today, we are proud to announce that Kinston’s Historic Grainger Stadium will be the new home of the Down East Bird Dawgs, an expansion team in the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League,” said Kinston City Council member Chris Suggs in a statement.
After the Down East Wood Ducks said their farewell to the community, fans will have a new team to root for. The new team, the Down East Bird Dawgs, is part of the Frontier League which is different than what the Wood Ducks had. They won’t have a one-to-one tie with major league teams, instead, they will be able to work with all 30 teams at once.
Local entrepreneurs and business leaders Cameron McRae and Jeff Turner were thanked for their leadership and investment as the managing members of the new team’s ownership entity.
The announcement garnered attention from local leaders, baseball commissioners and of course, Wood Ducks fans who eagerly awaited their new team name and logo. The team will be up and ready just in time for the 2025 baseball season. Came McRae, long-time owner of teams at Grainger Stadium, is excited for what’s to come.
“Everybody’s excited. I am, as well as much or more than anybody, because professional baseball has been such an important part of this community since after World War Two. And it will continue and it will be professional baseball.”
The new lease agreement between the City of Kinston and the Down East Bird Dawgs will run for an initial term of three years, from October 1, 2024, to September 30, 2027, with two optional three-year extensions that could extend the lease through September 30, 2033. This lease is expected to be presented to and voted on by the Kinston City Council during its meeting on September 17 at 7:00 p.m.
Grainger Stadium has had 75 years of teams, with affiliates that include teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and most recently the World Champion Texas Rangers. The Bird Dawgs are the newest generation with a fanbase already having their backs.
With a new team comes stadium improvements such as a new scoreboard and new kitchen equipment for the concession areas. Painting, upgrades to locker rooms and enhancements to the fan areas will be pursued based on funding availability as well as mutual agreement.
