Columbia Fireflies Founded in 2016 Columbia, South Carolina |
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Class-level | |||||
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Current | Class A | ||||
Minor league affiliations | |||||
League | South Atlantic League (1984–present) | ||||
Division | Southern Division | ||||
Major league affiliations | |||||
Current |
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Team data | |||||
Nickname |
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Colors | Navy blue, neon green, silver, white |
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Ballpark | Spirit Communications Park (2016–present) | ||||
Previous parks
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Grayson Stadium (1984–2015) | ||||
Owner(s)/
Operator(s) |
Hardball Capital LLC | ||||
Manager | Jose Leger |
The Columbia Fireflies are a minor league baseball team based in Columbia, South Carolina. The team plays in the Class A South Atlantic League and is an affiliate of the New York Mets of the National League in Major League Baseball. The home stadium is Spirit Communications Park. The team was formerly known as the Savannah Sand Gnats (1995–2015); they relocated from Savannah, Georgia, after the 2015 season. It is the only professional baseball team in Columbia, and the first since the Capital City Bombers moved to Greenville, South Carolina, after the 2004 season.
The Capital City Bombers moved from Columbia, South Carolina, to Greenville, South Carolina, after the 2004 season. The city of Columbia approved plans to build a new stadium in 2014, with the goal of attracting a new Minor League Baseball team. Spirit Communications, a local telecommunications company, purchased the naming rights for the stadium. In May 2015, the Savannah Sand Gnats of the Class A South Atlantic League, an affiliate of the New York Mets, announced that they would move to Columbia in time for the 2016 season.
After receiving over 2,300 submissions in a public contest to name the team, they chose to call themselves the "Columbia Fireflies". The name was inspired by an article in The State, the local newspaper. Portions of the team's uniforms glow in the dark as a tribute to the team's name.