The pinstripes are gone. Even the color’s changed.
Pulaski’s baseball franchise on Friday rebranded from the Yankees to the Pulaski River Turtles.
The turtle gives a nod to the Calfee Park’s New River Valley heritage.
“When considering the name, we weighed feedback from the local baseball community, Calfee Park’s history, and our location in the New River Valley,” says general manager JW Martin. “After thoughtful consideration, we wanted a brand that represents what our ballpark is really all about. We have a welcoming, fun, family environment that puts smiles on faces. We think this brand captures that.”
The name change comes to all Appalachian League teams as the brands evolve in a restructured league. In September, the league announced it would transition to a wood-bat summer league for the top 300 college players in the nation. It will serve as an entity of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball’s Prospect Development Pipeline in the seasons to come.
The coming season will mark Pulaski’s 55th season of fielding Appalachian League teams.
The River Turtles schedule includes 27 home games, kicking off with a Saturday, June 5, opening night. June boasts 12 home games, July will have 11 and August four. The regular season will wrap up on Saturday, Aug. 7.
Home games at Pulaski will began at 7 p.m.
On June 5, 6, 10 and 11 Princeton will visit the Turtles. On June 12 and 13, Burlington will be in town. Danville visits on June 22 and 23 and Kingsport on June 24 and 5. Greeneville stops by on June 29 and 30. Princeton is back in Pulaski on July 3, with Bristol coming on July 8 and 9. Elizabethton drops in on July 15 and 16, and Bluefield visits on July 17 and 18. On July 20 and 21, Johnson City is in town, followed by Burlington on July 28 and 29. Danville will be at Calfee on Aug. 1 and 2, and Bluefield closes out the season on Aug. 6 and 7.
“Our focus is to continue to build on the solid foundation of success this organization has enjoyed since 2015,” says Martin. “Our fans and corporate partners are an integral part of that success, and we hope everyone will join us in making the first season of River Turtles baseball a memorable one.”
2021 season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 540-980-1070. Additionally, a very limited number of boxes are available. Individual game tickets will go on sale later this spring. Pulaski River Turtles merchandise is available for purchase online with many more offerings coming soon.
Bristol has changed its name to the State Liners. Johnson City will now be the Dougboys. Burlington is the Sock Puppets, Elizabethton is the River Riders, Greeneville the Flyboys and Kingsport the Axmen. Bluefield and Princeton haven’t revealed their new names yet.
