Florence Flamingos

Lore & Background

The team was founded in 1997 as the Raleigh RedWolves. Before the 1998 season, the RedWolves relocated to American Legion Field in Florence. In 2001, the team was purchased by local attorney Kevin M. Barth and his wife. The RedWolves were named Coastal Plain League 2005 'Organization of the Year' and made the playoffs every year from 2001 through 2006. They were first half champions in 2003 but lost the championship to the Outer Banks Daredevils. In 2014, Florence won both the first and second half West Division titles before losing in the Petitt Cup 2 games to 1. The RedWolves appeared in four Petitt Cup Championship games, losing all four.

Reader's Guide

The Florence Flamingos represent a notable example of franchise evolution in collegiate summer baseball. Originating as the Raleigh RedWolves in 1997, the team's relocation to Florence and subsequent rebranding to the Flamingos in 2021 reflect the dynamic nature of minor-league and summer-league team identities. The team's early success—winning the Petitt Cup in its inaugural season—established a competitive standard, though subsequent championship appearances ended in losses. The franchise's stability under local ownership (the Barths from 2001 to 2020) and later transition to SRO Partners and then Thad Parsons in 2024 illustrate typical ownership patterns in summer baseball. The move to Carolina Bank Field in 2022 and the division change in 2024 show ongoing organizational adjustments. The Flamingos' history, including hosting the 2015 Coastal Plain League All-Star Game, underscores their role in the league's community engagement and development of college players.

Did You Know?

• The team was originally founded as the Raleigh RedWolves in 1997.
• The team rebranded to the Florence Flamingos on July 31, 2021, after fan input.
• The Flamingos moved from the East Division to the West Division for the 2024 season.

Origins: From Raleigh to Florence

The story of the Florence Flamingos begins not in the Lowcountry but in North Carolina. In 1997, a franchise known as the Raleigh RedWolves took the field and immediately made history by capturing the Petitt Cup, the championship trophy of the Coastal Plain League. That single title would become the franchise's only league championship to date. Before the 1998 campaign, the organization uprooted itself and settled into American Legion Field in Florence, South Carolina, where it would remain a fixture of summer collegiate baseball for over two decades. A turning point arrived in 2001, when local attorney Kevin M. Barth and his wife purchased the team, anchoring it more firmly to the community. Under their stewardship, the RedWolves became a consistent playoff presence, qualifying in every season from 2001 through 2006, and earning the league's Organization of the Year honor in 2004. This era established the foundation upon which the modern Flamingos identity would eventually be built.

A Championship Drought and Playoff Pedigree

For a team that won the league's top prize in its inaugural year, the RedWolves' subsequent postseason record reads as a study in near-misses. After the 1997 Petitt Cup triumph, the franchise returned to the championship game four additional times but fell short on every occasion. In 2003, they captured the first-half title only to be defeated by the Outer Banks Daredevils in the final. The 2014 season offered perhaps the most heartbreak: Florence swept both the first and second half West Division titles, yet still lost the Petitt Cup, trailing by two games to one. Between those stretches, the Barth-owned club posted a remarkable run of consecutive playoff berths from 2001 through 2006 and was recognized as the Coastal Plain League's Organization of the Year in 2004. The pattern that emerged was one of sustained excellence at the divisional level paired with an inability to close out the ultimate prize, a narrative that would define the franchise's identity well into the Flamingos era.

Rebirth: The Birth of the Flamingos

By late 2020, the franchise was entering a new chapter. In October of that year, the Barth family sold a controlling stake to SRO Partners while keeping a minority ownership position, signaling a shift in the team's corporate direction. The following spring, with a brand-new ballpark—Carolina Bank Field—under construction in Florence, the organization opened the naming process to the public. In May 2021, fans were invited to submit suggestions for a fresh identity that would accompany the 2022 move into the new stadium. The result was unveiled on July 31, 2021, during the final game of the season: the Florence Flamingos, complete with a new logo and uniform set, took effect immediately. The transition marked the end of the RedWolves era that had spanned more than two decades. The Flamingos stepped onto the field at Carolina Bank Field for the first time on May 28, 2022, kicking off what the organization hoped would be a new competitive era in the Lowcountry.

Stadiums, Divisions, and a New Ownership Chapter

The physical home of the franchise has evolved alongside its identity. After arriving in Florence in 1998, the team played at American Legion Field for over a decade before shifting to Francis Marion University's Sparrow Stadium for the 2012 season. That venue also hosted the Coastal Plain League All-Star Game on July 12, 2015, a notable milestone for a minor summer league park. The arrival of Carolina Bank Field in 2022 gave the Flamingos a dedicated, modern home in the heart of Florence. On the competitive front, the 2024 season brought a structural change as the team moved from the CPL's East Division to the West Division. Ownership also shifted again in early 2024, when Thad Parsons, a Washington, D.C.-area entrepreneur, purchased the franchise. These layered transitions—new ballpark, new division, new ownership—position the Flamingos at a crossroads, carrying forward the competitive legacy of the RedWolves while forging a distinct identity in the Southeast's summer baseball landscape.