Texas Rangers Class A team moving from Kinston to Spartanburg

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP/WWAY) — The city of Spartanburg plans to build a 3,500-seat ballpark that will open in 2025 and become home to the Texas Rangers Class A affiliate currently in Kinston, North Carolina.

The Rangers announced Tuesday that two of its minor league teams, the Hickory Crawdads and Down East Wood Ducks in Kinston were purchased by Diamond Baseball Holdings, a subsidiary of Endeavor. The new owners were among several groups who announced the relocation of the Wood Ducks.

The project would be part of a $250 million downtown development.

Kinston is part of the Carolina League, which also includes South Carolina-based minor league teams in Charleston, Columbia, Myrtle Beach and North Augusta.

There is also a minor league team in Greenville that’s part of the Class A South Atlantic League.

As WWAY first reported in February, the Texas Rangers were exploring a site in Leland for minor league baseball and a large entertainment venue. During a meeting in March, REV Entertainment, which is part of the Rangers program, said the team playing in Leland would likely be a new team, not pulled from somewhere else.

Leland Town Council is currently waiting on the results of a feasibility study, which will explore potential revenue and costs, but Brunswick County said it is not going to invest in the proposed stadium at this time.