Columbia Fireflies


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. Its home stadium is Segra Park. The team was previously known as the Savannah Sand Gnats ; it 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.

Team history

Minor league baseball in Columbia dates back to 1982. 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 stadium in 2014, with the goal of attracting a 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 it would move to Columbia in time for the 2016 season.
After receiving over 2,300 submissions in a public contest to name the team, it chose to call itself the "Columbia Fireflies". The name was inspired by the Photinus frontalis in the nearby Congaree National Park which was outlined in an article entitled “Synchronized fireflies putting on show at Congaree National Park” by The State, a local newspaper. Portions of the team's uniforms glow in the dark as a tribute to the team's name.
Columbia earned their first ever victory as the Fireflies on April 9, 2016. In the game, three pitchers combined to throw a no-hitter in a 9–0 shutout victory over the Charleston RiverDogs. The no-hitter was the Fireflies' third game. In their first ever home game, on April 14, 2016, the Fireflies defeated the Greenville Drive, 4–1, in front of 9,077 people.

Roster