Bring on the Waynesville Hollers, Haywood's new baseball team

May 20-Baseball fans in Haywood County have a new excuse to spend their summer evenings at the ballpark: the Waynesville Hollers.

The Waynesville Hollers are a brand new collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Old North State League.

"For me, it's all about growing the game of baseball in Haywood County. We're very well known for our football, but we have two very competitive high schools in the county when it comes to baseball," said Hollers General Manager Bradley Pace.

Local flavor

The team will feature current college baseball players who are continuing to hone their craft in the offseason.

The team includes local kids who previously went to Tuscola and Pisgah - but this time are playing on the same team. Players from other counties round out the field.

"We really tried to make our core group local kids here in Haywood County, and then expand a little further out with covering the 828," Pace said.

The roster currently boasts four former Mountaineers and two Bears. Tuscola alumni Tyler Williams, Noah Stepp, Evan Conner and Kolt Nelson are coming back to town and joining Mason Harrell, who just completed his senior season with Tuscola. Pisgah alumni Matthew Roberts and Ford Jones are also on the team.

"We really wanted to get those kids. It was very important for me to get Haywood County kids to be the core of what we're doing and then build from there," Pace said.

And it's not just on the field. The team also has former Haywood County players on the coaching staff, as well as in the stands.

"I have a great group of interns that I don't want to go unmentioned either," Pace said. "I've gotten some of our local kids who went to Pisgah and Tuscola, who are now in college and coming back. They're going to do some internships with us for game day staff, social media, things of that nature."

The Hollers are also intent on building excitement for future recruits. Over the summer, the team will host youth camps for kids in the area.

"They want to be a Pisgah baseball player, they want to be a Tuscola baseball player, and now maybe on their radars one day, they want to come back and play for Hollers," Pace said.

What to expect

The Hollers will be playing their home games on the same field as the Mountaineers.

"It's great to have the proximity to downtown Waynesville. That was a big draw," Pace said.

Tuscola welcomed the team to use the Jody Ward Memorial Athletic Complex.

"They didn't have to let us use their field. They didn't have to agree to it," Pace said. "But I think they see the positive impact it can have on Haywood County, and so they jumped in."

The team plans to keep the seating setup you see with Tuscola baseball games, complete with the fan sections beyond the outfield fence.

"We plan on keeping the traditional setup at Tuscola. Out in right field, if you want to bring your lawn chairs, we have a place to camp out and watch the game from there. We're going to have a section where you can back your truck up and watch it from your tailgate. We want to embrace that atmosphere," Pace said.

Bringing the hype

Off the field, the peripheral entertainment won't be as extravagant as a minor league game, but it is still a focus.

"We want you to come back. We're not a Savannah Bananas-type atmosphere, but we do want to have in-game entertainment and be engaging with the crowd," Pace said. "We just want to provide a product that has a positive impact on the community, and gives people something to do on a summer night, brings the kids out and inspires them to pursue baseball one day."

The team has a handful of promotional nights planned for this season, including Superhero Night on June 1, Bark in the Park on June 3, Military Appreciation on June 6 and First Responders Night on June 7.

On the field, Pace is expecting plenty of fireworks as well.

"It's going to be competitive baseball. You're going to see kids from all different colleges, which I think is really cool. It's just like a melting pot. You're going to have eight to 10 different colleges represented on the roster," Pace said.

The general manager is also extremely excited about one thing the team can't provide - fan atmosphere.

Haywood County is famous for the passion folks show for its sports teams. Pace is hoping that carries over to the Hollers.

"The Haywood County kids know what to expect, the way that those communities support their athletes. But that's not everywhere," Pace said. "Being able to bring some kids from other areas that maybe didn't have that in high school, and get to experience that for the summer and see them become part of our community and add to our community, that's something that I'm really excited about."

Getting ready

Opening Day is just around the corner for the Hollers, as the team will host the Lake Norman HarborHippos on Sunday at 6 p.m.

It's been a long road to get to Opening Day for the Hollers, however. The team was first announced in early March of this year.

"It's been like drinking from a fire hose for the past two months. It's exciting, because I know the way this community always seems to rally and support one another," Pace said.

The late announcement has provided a number of challenges for the team. First of all, they need to find somewhere for non-local players to stay.

"Typically, these are announced much sooner. Host families have been tough to come by. The kids who travel to us, they do need a place to stay," Pace said. "We actually still have a few players that are interested in playing for us, but we can't really take them on until we have some more host families.

Host families don't have to pay for food or transportation for players. The team also has a zero-tolerance policy for issues, meaning if a family is having problems with a player they're hosting, the team will remove that player.

"There's no financial obligation," Pace said. "You actually receive season tickets. All the host family has to do is provide basically a safe place for the athlete to stay - a bed to sleep in and a place to take showers."

The Hollers are also still looking for sponsors. In addition to businesses sponsoring the team, individuals can get involved by sponsoring post-game meals.

"Post-game meal sponsors would help us tremendously at the moment," Pace said. "It's something super easy, because those guys are gonna be finishing up games between 9 and 10 at night, and then they're gonna be traveling back to Lexington or Pineville or wherever it may be. And they've got a long road trip."

It's been a challenge for the first few months of the team's existence, but the Hollers are ready to get things going on Sunday.

"There's going to be growing pains in the first year, just as there are with anything, but I feel like in 2, 3, 4 years, we're going to look back on it and be grateful that we tackled the challenge and be happy with how it's grown," Pace said. "I want to get to opening day right now. That's the big thing for me."

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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 6:38 PM.