MARION, Va. – Terry Hindle is on a mission.
The North Carolina resident wants to build on the baseball tradition in Marion and provide a summer stage for college baseball players from far Southwest Virginia and beyond.
During a Thursday morning press conference at Marion High School, Hindle outlined his plan with a group of officials from the town of Marion and Smyth County.
“Marion has a history for baseball, and we want to add to it,” Hindle said.
Hindle’s bold concept is a new collegiate wood bat team that will debut this summer at the same Marion High School Hurricane Stadium that served as home of the Marion Mets minor league team from 1965-1976.
Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan began his career with the Marion Mets.
According to Hindle, a motel clerk in Marion shared that story early Thursday morning when he arrived in town.
People are also reading…
The Welch/Marion A’s also played at Hurricane Stadium in 1955.
Spinning off the popularity of locally branded teams in all forms of summer and minor league baseball, Marion’s team will be known as the Marion Hungry Mothers. That moniker is a nod to Marion’s Hungry Mother Park, with a mama bear dressed in a night grown and cap serving as the mascot.
“We looked at the story of the park, and there is a lot of character and depth there,” Hindle said. “The idea is that baseball in a very real sense is coming out of hibernation this summer in Marion. We wanted something that would be fierce and cool but would also be fun for kids to cheer on.”
The Hungry Mothers, which will be owned by the Marion Baseball Club, will open play on Memorial Day.
With a 40-game schedule, Marion will face summer collegiate teams from the Coastal Plain League such as the Boone Bigfoots, the Southern Collegiate Baseball League, and North Carolina based teams such as the Carolina Disco Turkeys from Winston-Salem and the Uwharrie Wampus Cats from Albemarle.
“We will hold games throughout the week,” Hindle said. “This a great chance for local athletes to compete in front of family and friends. We will also have players from other parts of the county who will live in Marion.”
Hindle said improvements will soon be made to Marion’s stadium, including new sod.
A familiar figure to fans across Northeast Tennessee and far Southwest Virginia was hired as the head coach last week.
Steven McMillian, 29, was a former baseball standout at Carroll County High School and Virginia Intermont. Along with 18 years of experience in travel ball with his Junior Patriots organization, McMillian’s 29-year run in coaching has included stops at Sullivan East and Tennessee High School along with King, Milligan, Emory & Henry and Combine Academy in Charlotte.
“I’m a native of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, but I never left the Bristol area after playing at VI,” McMillian said. “I’ve been truly blessed to be around some great coaches, great players and great people.”
For the past two years, McMillian has served as the head baseball coach at Southwest Virginia Community College.
“This will be my first experience with a college wood bat league and I’m excited to see how the atmosphere is,” McMillian said. “It’s a tremendous opportunity to bring baseball back to Marion.”
Instead of having tryouts, McMillian plans to rely on his array of coaching contacts to build a roster.
“I will be recruiting local kids from Southwest Virginia,” McMillian said. “This region has a ton of baseball talent, and I can’t wait to get started. It’s going to be a fun summer.”
Home games will include on-field entertainment between innings and a concession stand that will benefit the Marion Senior High Band boosters.
Tickets will start at $7 and will go on sale prior to the season.
Hindle has coached and operated teams at several levels in Greensboro, North Carolina, including the Greensboro Ducks in the Carolina Collegiate League.
“I’ve never seen a group so unified as I have here in Marion,” Hindle said. “We’re in this for the long haul.”
