The 25th season of Pelicans baseball brought a series of highs and lows throughout the campaign. Under seventh-year manager Buddy Bailey, the Birds posted a 62-67 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
The 2025 Opening Day roster featured many players who returned to the beach, including Cubs’ top-30 prospect Cristian Hernandez. His younger brother Alexis also joined him on the roster to begin the season. Overall, 16 former Pelicans started the season back in Myrtle Beach.
For the second straight season, the Pelicans blasted the most home runs in the Carolina League, finishing with 100. The power numbers were strong throughout the season, as the Birds placed third in the league in slugging percentage (.360), fourth in OPS (.682), and second in triples (38).
Andy Garriola, returning for his second year in Myrtle Beach, led the team and tied for the league lead in home runs with 18 while driving in 72 runs. Garriola’s 30 home runs across 2023 and 2024 ranked fourth in Pelicans’ history.
After playing for the Pelicans in 2021 and 2022, outfielder Jacob Wetzel spent the majority of the 2024 season in Myrtle Beach after playing 2023 in High-A South Bend. When he was promoted back to High-A at the end of the season, Wetzel left as the Pelicans’ franchise leader in games played (266), runs scored (165), RBI (135), and walks (155).
The Pelicans struggled on the mound for a majority of the 2024 season, ranking 11th in team ERA (4.03) and walking the second-most batters with 607. Through the first half of the season, undrafted free agent signing Nico Zeglin dominated across 16 games, logging a 1.41 ERA through 38 1/3 innings with just seven walks to 57 strikeouts.
Myrtle Beach’s most consistent starter was 2023 undrafted free agent signing Kenten Egbert, who finished the year with a 7-2 record and 3.04 ERA through 23 games. 20-year-old Juan Bello also impressed in his first experience of full-season baseball, posting a 3.21 ERA through his 22 starts.
2023 marked the 24th season in franchise history and the Pelicans’ eighth under the Chicago Cubs affiliation. The success continued in Myrtle Beach, as the Birds reached the postseason for the second straight year and topped the Carolina League in the regular season with a 75-55 overall record.
Playing their third season at the Single-A level, the Pelicans Opening Day roster was highlighted by 2022 Cubs’ first round pick Cade Horton, along with top prospects Cristian Hernandez, Moises Ballesteros, and Pedro Ramirez. 20 former Pelicans also returned to the beach, in a group led by Buddy Bailey, who returned as the Birds’ manager for his sixth season.
The Pelicans posted a strong season offensively, leading the league with a team batting average of .253. The lineup also led the league in slugging percentage (.382), OPS (.719), and blasted the most home runs with 104. Eight of their homers were grand slams, setting a new single-season franchise record. Reivaj Garcia claimed the Carolina League batting title at the end of the year, posting a batting average of .306. Felix Stevens belted a team-leading 13 home runs, all hit in the first half, to rank sixth in the league.
After finishing the 2022 season in Myrtle Beach, Ballesteros spent the first half of 2023 with the Pelicans before finishing out in Double-A Tennessee. Through 56 games, the 19-year-old from Venezuela hit eight home runs and finished with a .274 average. The catcher, who also spent time as the designated hitter and first baseman, was named the Buck O’Neil Cubs Minor League Player of the Year at the conclusion of the season.
In the beginning of the season, the Pelicans’ pitching staff was built up of mostly returning players. After being signed as an undrafted free agent out of Wingate in 2022, starting pitcher Brody McCullough dominated through 12 starts with a 2.86 ERA and 74 strikeouts through 50 1/3 innings. Nick Hull and Grant Kipp also impressed in their starts after making their Pelicans debuts in 2022. In the second half, reliever Jose Romero found his groove by allowing just two earned runs across the final two months of the season.
While his stay in Myrtle Beach was short, Horton proved why he was the seventh overall pick in 2022. The right-hander started four games and allowed just two runs across 14 1/3 innings. Horton struck out 21 batters with just four walks in a Pelicans uniform, before finishing his first full season in Double-A Tennessee. The Oklahoma native was named the Vedie Himsl Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year following his campaign.
After striking out a franchise record 1,393 batters in 2022, the Pelicans sat down 1,369 batters in 2023, ranking second in the Carolina League. Despite the high strikeout numbers, the Birds walked the most batters in the Carolina League with 711, a franchise record. The pitching staff kept the ball in the park, giving up just 52 home runs throughout the season, the least in the league.
For the second straight season, the Pelicans began the year in Charleston to face the defending champions. Returning Pelican Tyler Schlaffer started game one and gave up a two-run home run in the first inning, as the RiverDogs went on to take the Opening Night game 5-2. In their return to Pelicans Ballpark, the Pelicans played an exciting six-game series with the Augusta GreenJackets that included three walk-off wins. In the home opener, the Pelicans and GreenJackets went through 11 innings without scoring a run, before Augusta went up 1-0 in their half of the 12th. The Pelicans answered back with a run to tie the game in the bottom of the 12th, and Alcantara came up with one out and runners on the corners. In his first game as a Pelican, Alcantara lined a single to left-center that scored the winning run, and the Pelicans walked off winners in their first home game on the night of Tuesday, April 12th.
On the first day of May, the Pelicans did something that had never been done at Pelicans Ballpark before. Walker Powell, Adam Laskey, and Jake Reindl, all pitchers who had returned from the 2021 season, combined for the first-ever no-hitter thrown by the Pelicans at home as the Birds won 8-0 over the Columbia Fireflies. It was the team’s second no-hitter in back-to-back years, both against Columbia, and the third nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history. That kickstarted an incredible month of May, as the Pelicans won 19 of their 26 games, including a franchise-record 12-straight, to put them in front of the Carolina League South Division standings.
Heading into the 66th and final game of the first half, the Pelicans held a one-game lead over the RiverDogs to secure a playoff spot. Playing in Kannapolis, the Pelicans needed a win or a Charleston loss to clinch the title. If both teams won, the RiverDogs held the tiebreaker. As the Pelicans fell behind to the Cannon Ballers, the RiverDogs mounted an improbable comeback on the Fireflies and won on a walk-off home run to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Pelicans scored six combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take a lead on the Cannon Ballers, only for Kannapolis to even the score in the ninth to send the game to extras. In their half of the 10th, the Pelicans scored one as Ethan Hearn plated Ezequiel Pagan on a groundout to give Myrtle Beach an 8-7 lead. Reliever Johzan Oquendo retired the side in order to give the Pelicans a first-half title and their first playoff appearance since 2017. The Birds ended the first half with a franchise record 47 wins to just 19 losses.
On the final day before MLB’s All-Star break, the Pelicans again threw a no-hitter at home, this time against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Schlaffer threw the first three innings, and was backed up by Luis Angel Rodriguez, Gregori Montano, Angel Hernandez, and Alfredo Zarraga as the Pelicans went on to win 5-0. The pitching staff combined for 16 strikeouts in the final game of the series.
As the promotions to High-A continued for the Pelicans, the young team started to fade in August, posting just a 9-17 record through the month. Charleston went on to take the second half title in the division, setting up a divisional round between the two rivals, separated by just two hours.
Game one took place in Charleston on September 13th. In front of their hometown crowd, the RiverDogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead, putting two of those runs on Pelicans’ starter Grant Kipp. Myrtle Beach scored their only run on a solo homer by Alcantara in the top of the sixth, but the RiverDogs poured it on with a three-run bottom of the seventh to win the opener 6-1. The series turned back to Myrtle Beach two days later in front of a crowd of over 4,000. After both teams scored two in the opening frame, the RiverDogs plated five in the top of the fourth and three in the top of the eighth to build a 10-2 advantage. A late rally would fall short as the Pelicans were eliminated with a 10-6 game two loss. Charleston went on to sweep the Lynchburg Hillcats in two games to win their second straight league title.
Overall, the Pelicans saw a total 19 players promoted through the season, with many of them capturing a Midwest League title with the South Bend Cubs. Myrtle Beach racked up two Carolina League weekly awards, one Carolina League monthly award, and five Cubs organization monthly awards. The Birds mounted 35 comeback victories and walked-off winners in six games. Their 78-53 record contained their most wins since the 2016 season.
Following an over 600 day absence, baseball returned to Pelicans Ballpark on May 11th for the home opener against the Augusta GreenJackets. The Birds rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth to take a 4-2 comeback victory in front of over 3,000 Grand Strand fans. The first home series of the season concluded with the only walk-off home run of the year, as first baseman Matt Mervis launched a three-run big fly over the right field wall in the 10th inning to take down Augusta 9-7 on Sunday, May 16th.
The following month, the Pelicans recorded just the second no-hitter in franchise history and first since 2012 with a 5-0 win at Columbia on June 23rd. Herz started the game and lasted five innings with seven strikeouts to pick up his first win of the season. Jeremiah Estrada, Bailey Reid, and Danis Correa held the Fireflies hitless with Pablo Aliendo behind the plate.
One of the most exciting moments at Pelicans Ballpark came on August 10th, as the Pelicans came from five runs down to defeat the Charleston RiverDogs 6-5. Following a two-run double to tie the game in the ninth, Yohendrick Pinango stole third on the first pitch of the next at-bat. After the throw to third went wild into left field, Pinango broke for the plate into a swarm of teammates to grab the Pelicans’ seventh consecutive win. The victory launched Birds’ manager Buddy Bailey into fourth place all-time with 2,186 career victories as a Minor League Baseball manager.
In the return to Minor League Baseball, the Pelicans recorded four sellouts, with two coming on the Fourth of July weekend. In front of 6,599 fans, the Pelicans blew out the Down East Wood Ducks 12-3 on Independence Day, with the home crowd being treated to a postgame fireworks show.
After their streak of seven-consecutive postseason appearances was snapped during the 2018 season, the 2019 Pelicans faltered again and finished with the second fewest wins in club history. Myrtle Beach finished with a record of 55-81 and for the second straight season they finished ninth in the Carolina League. It was the first time since the 2009 and 2010 seasons in which the Birds failed to make the postseason in consecutive seasons.
Despite the lopsided record, the Pelicans enjoyed their best second half since their Carolina League championship season in 2016. Myrtle Beach finished third in the Carolina League Southern Division with a 34-35 record and were in playoff contention until the final week of the season regular season.
The Pelicans set new franchise lows in batting average (.227), hits (972) and at-bats (4274), but their struggles on the offensive side were slightly offset by the pitching staff, especially in the second half. After the All-Star break the Pelicans’ pitching staff was bolstered by promotions from Low-A South Bend and collected an ERA of 3.48 which ranked sixth in the league.
One standout on the mound was Jack Patterson who began the year in the Midwest League but was promoted to Myrtle Beach on July 5 and was brilliant. The southpaw delivered a historic run in which he made five starts with the Pelicans and did not give up an earned run in the 23.2 innings that he pitched. He continued that run after his promotion to Double-A Tennessee and ended up throwing 35.0 innings without being charged with an earned run.
The Pelicans were also given a major spark by the flame-throwing Brailyn Marquez, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect who matched the temperatures in the month of August with his blistering fastball. In his Myrtle Beach debut, Marquez threw 13 pitches in the first inning, 12 of which were over 100 miles per hour. The lefty held opponents to a .214 batting average against and held a 1.71 ERA in his five appearances with the Birds.
Myrtle Beach was also treated to the loud home runs that Miguel Amaya provided throughout the summer. The Cubs’ No. 1 catching prospect displayed his power as he mashed 11 homers and 24 doubles in 99 games. Not only was Amaya fun to watch at the plate, he was equally electric behind the plate as well. The 20-year-old threw out 46 runners, which ranked second in all of Minor League Baseball. Amaya was one of four players in the league to be selected to participate in the SiriusXM Futures Game held in Cleveland, OH during Major League Baseball’s All-Star weekend.
One of the most memorable moments of the season came in an early May game against the Salem Red Sox. The Pelicans beat the Sox 12-2 that night, but it was a defensive web gem from the Pelicans’ pitcher Javier Assad that was the star of the game. On a bunt up the first base side, Assad ran off the mound to field the ball, but when the baseball popped out of his glove, he instinctively kicked the ball to Cam Balego at first to record the out. The play was the No. 2 play on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays the following day.
Assad was one of four Pelicans selected to the Mid-Season All-Star game which was held in Frederick. Pitchers Jesus Camargo and Paul Richan and catcher Tyler Payne were the other three representatives from Myrtle Beach.
Myrtle Beach recorded three sellout crowds of 6,599 during the 2019 season, including for a thrilling 4-2 win over Carolina on July 3. D.J. Wilson hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to jolt the Birds in front of the capacity crowd.
The Pelicans received a boost offensively in early August when the Chicago Cubs assigned utility man Ben Zobrist to rehab in Myrtle Beach. During his three-game stint, Zobrist launched two home runs and was a vital influence in the clubhouse.
Three former Pelicans made their major league debuts during the 2019 season. Adbert Alzolay debuted for the Cubs on June 20 and was given a standing ovation at Wrigley field for firing 4.1 innings and striking out five. Eloy Jimenez (White Sox) and Tayler Scott (Mariners) also saw their first glimpse of big-league time in 2019.
All good things must come to an end, and it was an impressive streak that concluded in 2018 as the Birds failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010. After tying the Carolina League record with seven- straight appearances in the postseason in 2017, it was a struggling offense that held the Pelicans back in the franchise’s 20th season.
The Myrtle Beach offense set nine new lows in the history of the Pelicans, including batting average (.232), hits (1,013), runs (468), at-bats (4,360), total bases (1,393), doubles (173), home runs (55), extra base hits (249) and RBIs (409). The offensive woes were somewhat offset by a stellar pitching staff that managed a 3.51 ERA, which placed third in the Carolina League.
In terms of the pitching staff, the highlight of the season was an incredible performance by Keegan Thompson on June 14. On a Thursday night in Myrtle Beach, Thompson threw seven brilliant, perfect innings with eight strikeouts. Due to a high pitch-count, he was removed from the game after the seventh, but that did nothing to diminish the dominance that he displayed on the hill in Pelicans Ballpark.
While mound saw most of the highlights for the Pelicans in 2018, there were plenty from the bats as well. On May 29th, Tyler Alamo broke a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 10th inning against Winston-Salem with a walk-off grand slam. It marked the third straight season that the Birds had knocked a grand slam against the Dash. That was one of six walk-off wins for the Pelicans in 2018.
The Pelicans were paced on the offensive side by catcher Jhonny Pereda, who burst on the scene to hit .272/.347/.363 over the course of 122 games. Coming into the season, Pereda had only started 149 games at catcher over his last four seasons. Pelicans’ manager Buddy Bailey, who convinced the Cubs to let the catcher start in Myrtle Beach over going back to South Bend, started him behind the plate 83 times, and it paid off. The 23-year-old threw out 38 percent of base runners to go along with his stellar offensive numbers.
Pereda was one of three mid-season All-Star selections for the Pelicans, with the other two being top-Cubs prospect and shortstop Aramis Ademan and reliever Tyler Peyton.
On the hill, Tyson Miller (3.54 ERA) and Alex Lange (3.74) placed sixth and seventh, respectively, in Carolina League ERA over their 23 starts apiece. Miller led the league in strikeouts (126), WHIP (1.09) and batting average against (.220) on the season.
Even with the strong staff, the Pelicans finished seven games out of first place in the first half and 15.5 out in the second half.
On the major-league side of things, seven former Pelicans made their way up to Chicago and other big league teams. Billy McKinney (New York Yankees), Pedro Araujo (Baltimore Orioles), David Bote (Cubs), Gleyber Torres (Yankees), Duane Underwood Jr. (Cubs), James Norwood (Cubs) and Ryan Cordell (Chicago White Sox) all made it to The Show in 2018.
Myrtle Beach nipped Salem 2-1 in a decisive Game 3 of the SDCS for a berth in the Mills Cup Championship Series with the Lynchburg Hillcats. After losing Game 1 by a score of 4-3 in 12 innings, the Pelicans won 8-3 in Game 2 to even up the series. The Birds’ pitching was masterful in a 7-0 shutout in Game 3, which put them on the precipice of their second straight title. In Game 4, right-hander James Pugliese whiffed seven in 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, and a three-run seventh inning propelled Myrtle Beach to a 5-3 win and the Mills Cup title.
Strong pitching and defense were constants for the Pelicans throughout the 2016 campaign. The Pelicans finished with the Carolina League’s best ERA (3.47), while also issuing the fewest walks (411) and allowing the fewest home runs (65) and the second-fewest hits (1,176). Right-handed starter Trevor Clifton took home a number of honors, including both the Carolina League and Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The Maryville, Tenn., native led the circuit in ERA at 2.72, nearly a full run better than second-place Jordan Stephens of Winston-Salem. Clifton also paced the league in batting average against (.225) and WHIP (1.16) while coming in third in strikeouts (129).
Among starters, the right-hander also placed third in strikeouts per nine innings (9.8). The Pelicans were led offensively by first baseman Yasiel Balaguert and infielder David Bote. The former finished the season with 96 RBIs, the most ever in a campaign for a Myrtle Beach hitter. Over the year’s final 49 games, including the postseason, Balaguert batted .318/.360/.521, driving in 41 runs. The Chicago Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Month for August, Bote led all of the organization’s farmhands with a .367 average and 16 runs scored during the month. His 15 extra-base hits were tied for the most in the system. The Longmont, Colo., native closed the regular year riding a 27-game on-base streak, the longest of any Pelican during the season, batting .365/.434/.583 with 21 RBIs during that stretch. He only continued to rake in the postseason, batting 15-for-26 (.577/.677/.769) with nine RBIs in seven playoff games en route to winning the Carolina League’s postseason Most Valuable Player award.
The 2016 season also saw some special moments with Pelicans alumni. On May 17, the Atlanta Braves named former Myrtle Beach skipper Brian Snitker their interim manager, making Snitker the first former Pelicans skipper to pilot a club in The Show.
The Pelicans’ first year as a Cubs affiliate was a hit throughout the Grand Strand. Myrtle Beach captured the first-half Southern Division title en route to the best regular season record in the Carolina League by six games. The campaign culminated with a Mills Cup Championship for the first time since 2000, the Pelicans’ third total and second outright title.
A wobbly April left Myrtle Beach at 10-9, but eventual Carolina League Manager of the Year Mark Johnson was able to steady the club’s path as soon as the calendar flipped to May. The Pelicans began the month by winning 13 of the 16 games, including each the first five contests. Myrtle Beach finished the month 21-7 behind a torrid pitching staff backed by an airtight defense; the Pelicans surrendered more than four runs in just seven contests throughout the month, including each of the last 11.
That would prove to be a theme throughout the season. Myrtle Beach finished with a 3.01 ERA, the club’s best since their 2000 championship season and the Carolina League’s top mark since at least the 2005 season. Pelicans pitchers surrendered just 1035 hits in 2015 (7.9 H/9), the fewest among any team in the circuit. Myrtle Beach also issued only 339 walks in 1183.0 innings (2.6 BB/9), the second-fewest among any staff in the Carolina League.
At the forefront of the effort were a pair of Mid-Season All-Stars in Duane Underwood Jr. and Jonathan Martinez. The latter led the league in ERA at 2.56, surrendering just 82 hits in 116.0 frames to post a 9-2 record. Underwood Jr. finished 6-3 with a 2.58 ERA. Right-hander Jen-Ho Tseng also finished in the top 10 in the league in ERA at 3.55, registering a 7-7 record in 119.0 innings.
In what turned out to be the final year of the Pelicans in the Rangers system, the club posted one of its best years in franchise history. The best first half winning percentage in team history (.647) propelled the Pelicans to the playoffs for a fourth straight season, and the team made the Mills Cup Championship for the first time since 2008, only to fall to the Potomac Nationals. With the most dominant offense in the league from start to finish, the Pelicans tore out of the gates with a 40-18 start despite an 0-4 opening series. Behind soon-to-be league MVP Joey Gallo, the Pelicans clubbed their way to victory. The slugger blasted 21 home runs in just 58 Carolina League games before his promotion to Double-A. The total was enough to pace the league all season, and it was the most homers in a single-season by a Pelicans since 2009, when Cody Johnson hit 32. Gallo homered three times in a game twice, something no Pelican had ever done. But he wasn’t the only one with power. The team hit 111 long balls in 2015, the fourth-most in team history, and recorded the first 100-homer season for the franchise since 2009. Jorge Alfaro (13), Nick Williams (13), Preston Beck (11) and Christopher Bostick (11) all knocked out double-digits bombs.
The team could run as well. The Birds stole 154 bases, the most in team history and by far the most in the league that year. Chris Garia, an unheralded minor leaguer entering the season, set the club’s single season stolen base record with 45 and might have had more had he not been injured the last two weeks of the year. As was the case every year in the Rangers-era, the Pelicans were not too shabby on the hill either. The Pelicans placed a league-best and franchise record eight players on the mid-season All-Star team, three of whom were pitchers: starters Andrew Faulkner and Alex “Chi Chi” Gonzalez, and reliever Alexander Claudio joined position players Alfaro, Beck, Gallo, Garia and Williams. Faulkner spent most of the year near the top of the league in wins (10) and ERA (2.07), and did not allow a home run until his final High-A start on July 21, the latest of any qualifying pitcher in Minor League Baseball. Gonzalez took a no-hitter into the fifth inning on multiple occasions, and Claudio was dominant during 2015. He finished the season in Arlington with the Texas Rangers, marking only the second time that a player spent time with both the Pelicans and the Rangers in the same season.
Despite its offensive struggles, the Pelicans were able to return to the postseason for the second straight year. The Birds finished .500 or better in every month of the second half, including a 17-12 mark in June (first half ended June 17).
Because Winston-Salem posted the best record in the first and second half in the Southern Division, the Dash hosted all three postseason matchups with the Pelicans in the opening round. In 2012, the divisional series adopted a best-of-three format after being best-of-five for several years.
The series opened favorably for the Pelicans, who scored four sixth-inning runs and snatched game one by a 4-1 final. Tomas Telis tripled and knocked in three runs, while Luke Jackson struck out eight over five innings to claim the win. The Pelicans took a 2-1 lead into the sixth inning of game two before the Dash took control.
The Pelicans would score just one more run in the series. A three-run seventh sparked the Dash to a 5-3 series-evening triumph. Facing elimination, the Pelicans were blanked in game three, falling by a 9-0 margin with all of the game’s runs coming in the second and third frames.
The 2011 season brought a new era as the Pelicans began a new partnership with the Texas Rangers. The Birds’ first season as the Rangers’ Class Advanced-A affiliate was a great success, with the club winning the Southern Division first-half title and qualifying for the postseason for the first time since 2008.
On March 29, the Pelicans kicked-off the affiliation change, hosting the reigning AL champs for a preseason exhibition game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. The Rangers won 6-2 in front of a sellout crowd.
In his first season with Myrtle Beach, Jason Wood made his managerial debut, piloting an Opening Day roster that featured eight of _Baseball America_’s top 30 Rangers’ prospects.
Neil Ramirez got the Opening Day start for the Pelicans and took a no-hitter into the fifth. He didn’t stay in town for long, as he was promoted to Triple-A Round Rock after just one start. Robbie Erlin dominated for the first two months of the season, putting up a 2.14 ERA with 62 strikeouts and only five walks in 54.2 innings, earning a promotion to Double-A Frisco. Robbie Ross was the league leader in wins at the break and was named an All-Star for the third straight season. The lefty was promoted to Double-A August 2, but was still named Carolina League Pitcher of the Year. Finally, Barret Loux made his professional debut in 2011, skipping all lower levels and starting with Myrtle Beach at High-A. In 109 innings, Loux racked up 127 strikeouts to rank second in the league.
It was a historic day on May 3, when the Birds rocked Potomac 20-6, surpassing the 20-run mark for the first time in three years. Catcher Zach Zaneski had a record-breaking game, setting the Pelicans’ single-game record with seven runs batted in and tying the club record with five hits and four runs scored. Jared Prince also scored four runs to tie the team record and Strausborger got into the record books by tying the club mark with two triples. A day later, the Pelicans got a remarkable performance on the pitchers’ mound, as Joe Wieland took a no-hitter into the fifth inning. He struck out 13 Nationals in six shutout innings.
June 12 was the longest day of the season for the Pelicans, playing a 23-inning marathon against Kinston. It was the longest contest in the 66-year history of the Carolina League. The extra innings were highlighted by spectacular relief performances from Zach Osborne, who put up four scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out six, while Chad Bell, who struck out eight and held the Indians to one hit in five shutout frames. In the bottom of the 23rd inning, six hours and 27 minutes after the first pitch, Kinston’s Casey Frawley singled off Kasey Kiker to score Roberto Perez with the winning run and beat the Birds 3-2. Zaneski caught all 23 innings for Myrtle Beach.
The first-half race came down to the final weekend. With the help of Wieland’s pitching on June 17 against Frederick, the Birds came out on top to edge the Indians by two games and clinch the club’s first playoff berth since 2008, setting off a wild celebration in front of the home fans. The Pelicans enjoyed playing in front of that crowd, going 23-9 on the Grand Strand in the first half.
The Pelicans 10th Anniversary season became one of the most remarkable seasons in the franchise’s brief history on the Grand Strand. Rocket Wheeler returned to Myrtle Beach for a third season at the helm and guided the team to a sweep of the first and second half titles in the Southern Division and the franchise all-time wins record (89). Wheeler’s Pelicans also broke the franchise record for wins in the first half (45).
The Pelicans hosted a venue attendance record (6,599) when it hosted the 2008 California-Carolina League All-Star Game in June. Myrtle Beach first baseman Ernesto Mejia highlighted the festivities by winning the Home Run Derby, besting teammate Brandon Hicks in the semifinals of the sudden-death showdown.
With their first-half title, the Pelicans ended a four-year run of first-half championships for Southern Division rival Kinston. The moment was made sweeter when the Birds claimed the title at Grainger Stadium in Kinston. With the first-half crown, Myrtle Beach also ended the longest active playoff drought in the Carolina League.
With the second-half title also in hand, the Pelicans matched up with the wild card winning Winston- Salem Warthogs (Chicago White Sox) in the divisional series.
Myrtle Beach ended the Warthogs’ season by winning the series two-games-to-one. It would be the final games the Warthogs would play, as the club was renamed the Dash after the season.
Unfortunately for the Pelicans, a depleted bullpen was unable to get them through their Mills Cup Championship matchup with Potomac. With the series tied at a game apiece, the Pelicans took a three- run lead to the bottom of the ninth inning of game three but the Nationals forced extra-innings with a dramatic three-run rally and won the game in 10 innings. The Pelicans lost the series the following night.
Not content with just a new look, the 2007 season brought a revitalization of the Pelicans home park, spearheaded by Greensons Baseball, LP. The group’s $2.5-million investment in the ballpark began with the installation of a brand new, state-of-the-art video board that would bring a big league feel to the Pelicans’ ballpark. Then, the Pelicans added the only left-field bleacher seating in the Carolina League and the Pelicans Beach. The boost by Greensons Baseball made the park one of the premier venues in all of Minor League Baseball.
In their first full season under Greensons Baseball, the Pelicans reached new heights. In late May, the Pelicans were awarded the 2008 California/Carolina League All-Star Game. In addition, the Pelicans were a finalist for the prestigious Larry MacPhail Promotional Trophy, awarded to the minor league team that displays extraordinary promotions both on and off the field. The Pelicans’ front office staff increased in size from eight to 20 full-time personnel, all with the distinct goal of making Pelicans baseball the best family entertainment option on the Grand Strand. The club added positions such as director of promotions, director of community relations and director of in-game entertainment.
Year three was the first season the Pelicans did not qualify for the postseason. A respectable 71-67 record placed the club third in the Carolina League overall during the regular season. First baseman Adam LaRoche played his first full season with the Pelicans and showed early signs of his future big league potential, giving Pelicans fans a preview of things to come.
The 2001 campaign was the third and final for the Birds under manager Brian Snitker. “Snit” would later become the first former Pelicans skipper to manage in the big leagues when he took over as the manager of the Atlanta Braves in 2016.