Columbia, SC (WLTX) - The Savannah Sand Gnats will be moving to Columbia, giving the state capital its first minor league baseball team in a decade.
Columbia city leaders confirmed the news, which had been speculated for months, at a press conference at the site where the team's new stadium will eventually stand.
The franchise, which is owned by Hardball Capital, has been in Savannah since 1984. The team's contract with that city will expire at the end of September.
The team is a Single A affiliate of the New York Mets that plays in the South Atlantic League. It will have a new name when it begins play here, but that moniker hasn't been selected yet.
Columbia's last minor league team, the Capital City Bombers, left in 2005. They moved to Greenville where the team was renamed the Drive.
The franchise will begin play next year. John Katz, who's currently the president of the Sand Gnats, will be the president of the Columbia franchise as well.
The team's home field will be Spirit Communications Park, which is currently under construction on Bull Street at the old mental health hospital site The $37 million stadium is expected to seat about 8,000 people and will be used for baseball and other special events. The ballpark is expected to open in April of 2016.
Columbia city leaders hope the park will be the centerpiece of a massive new development of the property, which will take well over a decade to complete. When it's done, it will include a mix of retails and residential shops, and be an extension that connects that area to downtown Columbia.
