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Welcome to Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies!
Thank you for choosing to join us at the ballpark for some fun during the 2024 season! We are excited for what promises to be another great season of memories being made at the ballpark. Since 2016 we have welcomed over 1.4 million fans to the ballpark for Fireflies games and over 250,000 guests for other events. Without you, the best fans in all Minor League Baseball, none of this would be possible. We are so grateful for your loyal support of the Columbia Fireflies. The 2022 season was a return to normalcy for us in many ways. We moved into the new normal with a 132-game season and 66 home games. It was also our first season as a member of the Carolina League and our young team continually improved throughout the season and after a tough first half of the season was able to finish in second place of the South Division in the second half. We are excited to see these young Kansas City Royals prospects compete again in 2024! Our “off-season” was full of excitement as well with our second year of Fireflies Holiday Lights. Over one million lights decorated Segra Park for the holiday season and over 20,000 guests joined us to enjoy the show. Fireflies Holiday Lights is an event that we will host annually and will get bigger and better every year. If you didn’t get a chance to join us last year, please stay tuned for tickets to go on sale this fall! No matter what happens on the field, we strive to make sure that every Fireflies game is a great experience from the moment you park your car until you drive away at the end of a great night. We have a fantastic team of full-time staff and gameday employees who are here to serve you while you are spending time with us at the ballpark. Please don’t hesitate to let one of our team members know if there is something that we can do to enhance your experience at the ballpark. In 2024 we have a great lineup of promotions that will add to your enjoyment at Segra Park. Whether it is a Budweiser Thirsty Thursday, a Karaoke Theme Night or one of our bobbleheads, we have something for everyone! Be sure to check out our promotional calendar and pick out your favorite games today! Buy Early, Save Money and Have Fun this season!
On behalf of our entire team, we hope that you will have an unforgettable experience at Segra Park. Please come back and visit us again soon for another Fireflies game, Fireflies Holiday Lights or one of the numerous events that are hosted at Segra Park every year. This ballpark was built by the community, for the community, and we can’t wait to welcome you back!
BRAD SHANK President of the Columbia Fireflies
TABLE OF CONTENTS Fan Code of Conduct & Map.................. 4-5
K9 Klub and Kids Club Info.....................
6
2024 Fireflies Schedule............................
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Kansas City Royals System.....................
10
Carolina League...........................................
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Fireflies Coaching Staff............................
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Fireflies Roster.............................................
18-19
Pelicans Roster............................................
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Ticket Information.......................................
24-25
Opening Day Roster Preview.................
26-27
Homestand Highlights...............................
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Upcoming Homestand..............................
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COMET
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SUPPORTING LOCAL RESTAURANTS. SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY.
US Foods® is one of America’s great food companies and a leading supplier to restaurants and foodservice operators. Working with food people and the communities they serve is our passion, and we understand the importance of making a positive impact where we live and work. US Foods is proud to help chefs and restaurateurs in communities across the country make it every day.
FAN CODE OF CONDUCT The Columbia Fireflies are committed to creating a family-friendly and welcoming environment at the ballpark for all guests. As part of that commitment, we have adopted this written policy addressing fan behavior. The policy includes a Fan Code of Conduct, which is fan- facing and describes how fans are expected to behave. Fan Code of Conduct: In order to provide a welcoming experience for all, the Columbia Fireflies have implemented a Fan Code of Conduct. Out of respect for fellow guests, players, coaches, and ballpark staff, all guests are prohibited from: • Trespassing on the playing field at any time; • Interfering with baseballs that are in play; • Throwing or tossing objects; • Using foul, obscene or derogatory language (see below) or gestures; • Misusing or overconsuming alcohol, including, underage consumption; • Behaving in a manner that is disruptive, unruly, or abusive; • Accessing areas of the ballpark without a proper ticket, pass, or credential; • Misusing tickets, passes, or credentials in any way; or • Bringing prohibited items into the ballpark. • Only service dogs are allowed (outside of “Dog Days”) Derogatory language is defined as offensive language concerning a person’s race, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, age, sexual orientation, or national origin, and anyone using such language is subject to automatic ejection from the ballpark. Violations of the Fan Code of Conduct will not be tolerated and may lead to ejection from the ballpark, a ban on attending future games, or other consequences. Guests who are found to have used derogatory language will be ejected from the ballpark. Guests are encouraged to report violations of the Fan Code of Conduct to the nearest ballpark staff member. This can be done in person, at the nearest Guest Services location, directly with Ballpark Security or by venuesafety@columbiafireflies.com.
CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION
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SEGRA PARK MAP
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CLICK FOR FULL PROMOTIONAL SCHEDULE
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CLICK TO JOIN OUR K9 KLUB
CLICK TO JOIN OUR KIDS CLUB
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GET STARTED!
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CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION
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KANSAS CITY ROYALS MINOR LEAGUE SYSTEM
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CAROLINA LEAGUE
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Special Events
Located in the heart of Columbia’s Bull Street District, Segra Park is a year round event venue. Our venue is perfect for corporate meetings, galas, weddings, holiday parties and more. It’s a multi-purpose venue that provides a unique backdrop for your next event.
CLUB LOUNGE
CONTACT SPECIAL EVENTS EVENTS@COLUMBIAFIREFLIES.COM SEGRAPARK.COM
MUSC HEALTH CONFERENCE ROOM
THE MASON JAR COLUMBIA FIREFLIES TEAM STORE Non-Game Days: Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM Saturday & Sunday CLOSED Game Days Monday - Saturday 10AM-4PM Gates open - 30 Minutes After Game Sundays Gates Open - 30 Minutes After Game
CLICK TO START SHOPPING!
2024 FIREFLIES COACHING STAFF
Ari Adut
Jesus Azuaje
John Habyan
Hitting Coach
Manager
Pitching Coach
Kyle MacKinnon
Sam Freeman
Bench Coach
Asst. Pitching Coach
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WE KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A WINNING TEAM
2024 FIREFLIES ROSTER
PITCHERS CLICK FOR FULL ROSTER AND STATS
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6' 3" 185 R-R P - Felix Arronde
6' 2" 210 R-R P - Ethan Bosacker
6' 4" 225 R-R P - Connor Fenlong
5' 9" 179 S-R P - Eduardo Herrera
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P - Chase Isbell
5' 11" 193 R-R P - Doug Kirkland
6' 1" 185 R-R P - Logan Martin
6' 4" 190 L-L P - Hunter Patteson
6' 3" 210 R-R
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P - Luis Polanco
5' 11" 175 R-R P - Yimi Presinal
6' 0" 180 R-R P - Emmanuel Reyes
6' 2" 215 R-R P - Nicholas Regalado
6' 3" 225 R-R
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6' 3" 215 R-R P - Jarold Rosado
P - Mauricio Veliz
6' 7" 235 L-L P - Jacob Widener
6' 4" 210 R-R P - Blake Wolters
6' 2"
220
R-R
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CATCHERS
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P - Blake Mitchell
5' 11" 215 R-R P - Dionmy Salon
P - Gabriel Silva
6' 1"
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L-R
5' 9" 218 R-R
INFIELDERS
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P - Chris Brito
6' 4" 225 R-R P - Austin Charles
6' 4" 215 L-R P - Derlin Figueroa
6' 2" 225 R-R
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P - Jhonny Perdomo
6' 1" 150 R-R P - Daniel Vazquez
P - Lizandro Rodriguez
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L-R
5' 11" 180 S-R
5' 10"
OUTFIELDERS
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P - Brennon McNair
P - Erick Peña
6' 0" 185 L-L P - Milo Rushford
P - Erick Torres
185 R-R
6' 3" 205 L-R
160 R-R
5' 10"
5' 10"
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2024 MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS Pitchers: 36 Jorge Bautista 50 Cedric De Grandpre 40 Jason Franks 17 Didier Fuentes 32 Rob Griswold 8 Landon Harper 5 Hayden Harris 54 Jared Johnson 11 Elison Joseph 4 Seth Keller 12 Jhancarlos Lara 48 Nolan Martinez 7 Owen Murphy 24 JR Ritchie 33 Spencer Schwellenbach 18 Adam Shoemaker 34 Tyree Thompson Infielders: 2 EJ Exposito 15 Francisco Floyd 38 Justin Janas 22 David McCabe 1 Ambioris Tavarez 16 Mahki Backstrom Outfielders: 14 Jair Casanova 26 Jeremy Celedonio 49 Tyler Collins 25 Ethan Workinger
Catchers: 46 Nick Claron 27 Dawson Dimon 9 Andrew Keck
CLICK FOR ROSTER DETAILS
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FIREFLIES TICKETS
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INDIVIDUAL GAME TICKETS
GROUP TICKETS
COLa
Attendees of groups of 20 or more in the Palmetto Picnic Pavilion, Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union All-Star or Reserved seating will take home a souvenir Fireflies group hat.
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FULL SEASON TICKETS
$3,300/table
$630/seat*
$2,995/table
$540/seat
$1,050/seat*
$330/seat
$775/seat*
*Multi-year commitment required
Half Season (33 Games) HALF SEASON TICKETS
$330/seat
$299/seat
7 TH INNING STRETCH PLANS
10 GAME PLANS Start at $110/seat
20 GAME PLANS Start at $205/seat
7 GAME PLANS Start at $77/seat
CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION
Individual Tickets
Group Tickets
Season Tickets
Interested in Group Outings or Memberships? Call 803-726-4487 ext 2 or email sales@columbiafireflies.com
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Opening Day Roster Preview By John Kocsis Jr.
Pitchers There’s a lot to be excited about in this group. Not only do you have returning starts who have had some great success in the Carolina League in Mauricio Veliz and Emmanuel Reyes, but the Fireflies are also welcoming Blake Wolters, the Royals top picked pitcher in the 2023 draft, into the rotation. Veliz spun 98.1 innings for the Fireflies in 2023, the most of any Fireflies pitcher. He struck out 69 to pair with a 4.76 ERA, but he got better as the season
progressed, going 3-1 with a 2.84 ERA in four starts in August. Reyes came into the fold late for the Fireflies, after Mozzicato and Kudrna were called up to Quad Cities. The righty fireballer impressed immediately though, working three quality starts in seven outings during his 18-year-old season. Wolters will get his first taste of professional baseball in Columbia Wednesday. He jumped onto the scene after throwing 97.7 MPH in the PBR Super 60 showcase, a record velocity for the venue. He fanned 106 hitters in just 48.2 innings while managing a 0.43 ERA on his way to a Gatorade Player of the Year campaign in Illinois. Wolters allowed just 13 hits his senior year. In addition to the familiar faces in the rotation, the bullpen is bolstered by an experienced group. Nicholas Regalado finished the season as the Fireflies close in 2023, going 3-3 in save opportunities and a 2.78 ERA in 20 games. Jacob Widener, a 6’7” lefty the Royals selected in the 9th round from Oral Roberts last year is also poised to eat more innings from the pen this year. The club will see the return of Eduardo Herrera, who has now spent part of three seasons in Columbia. Herrera is a small, power arm fit for single innings in the back of the bullpen. Herrera is a converted switch hitting catcher who found upper 90s velocity and a plus breaking ball before the Royals traded outfielder Nick Heath for his upside after the onset of the pandemic in 2020. The club will welcome in Felix Arronde, Chase Isbell, Logan Martin and Hunter Patteson, all who got a short look at the Carolina League during the 2023 season, but will largely be experiencing full season baseball for the first time in their career. Arronde, Patteson and Martin look to rund out the rotation while Isbell will primarily work as a bullpen arm. Catchers 2024’s catching room is absolutely loaded with talent. First, it’s hard to miss Blake Mitchell, the eighth overall pick in the 2023 draft in the room. Not only was Mitchell drafted for his bat as a rare two-time Gatorade Player of the Year in his home state of Texas, but he could also throw 97 from the bump as a pitcher. Even if he never pitches for the Royals, think of how that canon comes in handy for throwing out would be base stealers. Needless to say, Mitchell has a lot of tools to hone while here in the Carolina League. Mitchell isn’t the only guy in the room though. This year the Fireflies are carrying three catchers, returner Dionmy Salon spent all of last season on the Fireflies roster, and he had the top on-base percentage of Fireflies backstops in 2023, a .330 mark across 74 contests. Last year was even a down offensive year for Salon, who hit .348 in 20 games in the ACL in 2022. The club will also see international signee Gabriel Silva for the first time. Silva has quite a bit of thump in his bat. He carried a .784 OPS with a 170 ISO as
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a 19-year-old in the ACL last year. An ISO of 200 is considered elite in the MLB where there’s a lot more power after players have had a chance to physically mature. Infielders The infielders set to play in Columbia this year are going to look really familiar—and that’s not a bad thing! Two of the Fireflies top bats at the end of 2022 were Daniel Vazquez and Lizandro Rodriguez who got early call-ups for a stint in the Carolina League prior to the end of the campaign. At the start of the 2023 campaign, a lot was put on those two to carry the Fireflies lineup during the Fireflies first half playoff run. Vazquez finished the season playing a career-high 113 games, nearly doubling his
previous mark of 77, and tripling his previous home run personal best while hitting .223. On the other side of the bag, Rodriguez launched seven round-trippers, a career-best, while hitting .235 in 118 contests. Rodriguez will be 21 this whole season, the age of a college junior and Vazquez won’t turn 21 until December. These two were signed in the same International Signing Period and have been paired as a middle infield tandem by the Royals for three seasons now. One last familiar face you’ll recognize is Austin Charles at the hot corner. A 2022 20th round selection from the Royals, Charles hit .239 in his first full season action last year. He’s another young player who will not turn 21 until November. Now Columbia will see a few new faces in the infield this year. Jhonny Perdomo, Chris Brito and Derlin Figueroa are all joining the squad for the first time. Brito was an undrafted free agent signed this winter out of Rutgers. Brito’s dad enjoyed a cup of coffee in the bigs, and might be the source of where Brito inherited his bat. After all, he set the all-time record for most homers (46) and RBI (200) at Rutgers. Perdomo has had a fantastic career that continued to blossom with a .336 average in the ACL in 2023 after an All-Star season in the DSL in 2022. Finally, Figueroa might be the most intriguing player in this group. He was acquired as one of two prospects the Dodgers sent back to KC for Ryan Yarbrough at the trade deadline last year. Despite some pedestrian numbers to start the year in the ACL, 11 games into his change in scenery appeared to be just what Figueroa needed. He went 20-35 (.571) with an out of this world 1.688 OPS after the trade deadline. Outfielders The final group of Fireflies is primarily composed of new faces. Brennon McNair and Erick Pena return, but both are moving around. McNair was exclusively an infielder in 2023 and is trying the outfield out for the first time in 2024 and Pena is moving from center to the corner outfield in his third season in the soda city. The moves are paving the way for the remaining outfielders Milo Rushford and Erick Torres. Rushford is another MLB legacy player, as his father played a few seasons in the show in the 90s. Rushford showed incredible bat to ball skills, hitting .333 in 32 games in the ACL in 2023 after just three games in 2022. He will get his first crack at full season baseball in 2024. Torres is a plus center fielder who also hit over .300 in a 32 game showing in the ACL last year. Both players are young, Rushford is 20 and Torres is 19 and should be fun to watch as they compete with each other at the plate and work together to cover a lot of ground in the vast Segra Park outfield in the 2024 season. CLICK FOR FULL ROSTER AND STATS
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UPCOMING COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS OF THE GAME Please stop by their kiosks during the game and learn more about these important local organizations!
4/9 - Audubon SC 4/10 - PAALS 4/11 - The Nickelodeon
4/12 - K9 Godmothers/RCSD K9 Team 4/13 - Salvation Army of the Midlands 4/14 - Civitan Columbia
The Fireflies strive to give back to the community in which we all live. If you are interested in being a Community Organization of the Game, please contact Matt Chernesky at mchernesky@columbiafireflies.com
CLICK TO BUY YOUR TICKETS HOMESTAND HIGHLIGHTS
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CLICK TO BUY YOUR TICKETS UPCOMING HOMESTAND
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/COLUMBIAFIREFLIES
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