Program 6 Issue 12

Welcome to Segra Park, home of the Columbia Fireflies!

We want to thank you for choosing to join us for some exciting Columbia Fireflies baseball and lots of fun here at Segra Park! We have the greatest fans in Minor League Baseball, and without each and every one of you we wouldn’t be able to create this amazing atmosphere at every Fireflies game. The 2021 season gave us the opportunity to be one of the first sports venues to bring people back together coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, and we were ecstatic to welcome fans back to Segra Park after a long break. It also marked our first season with a new Major League affiliate in the Kansas City Royals. Records were broken, memories were made, and we all enjoyed the opportunity to get back together as Fireflies fans. In 2022 we are excited to get back to what we hope will be a much more normal season. We will get back to what we do best with lots of fun on-field promotions, fireworks, great food and drinks and much more at every Fireflies game. As if that weren’t enough, we are even going to fire a man out of a cannon on July 23 and you will NOT want to miss out on that! We hope that you will enjoy your time at the ballpark and please be sure to let us know how we can improve your experience for your next trip to Segra Park. You probably saw on your way into the ballpark that there is a lot of construction and activity going on around us. Segra Park sits at the center of the BullStreet District which is a 181-acre redevelopment project that will help create a vibrant community in the heart of our state capital. In the past two years the district has welcomed Starbucks and REI providing the first of many retail pieces of the development. Merrill Gardens is a senior living facility that provides residents with top notch amenities and easy access to Segra Park as well as the new Page Ellington Park, a 20-acre park that sits in the center of the BullStreet District. In addition, many more projects have just completed or are well underway. Two public parking garages with over 800 parking spaces are now nearly complete. The WestLawn project will provide ample office space on top of 14,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Directly across the street from Segra Park work is well underway on the Bennet at BullStreet which will provide the district with a 280,000 sq. ft. community with 269 luxury apartments and 45,000 sq. ft. of retail space. Finally, the historic Babcock building is in the middle of being converted into 208 apartments and the famous red cupola will be restored after being destroyed by a fire in September of 2020. All of this is happening in addition to multiple townhomes, office space, a church and event space already being occupied in the BullStreet District with another huge project set to begin soon as the University of South Carolina will be constructing a new $300 million Health Sciences campus in the BullStreet District. Since 2016 over 1.2 million fans have attended a Fireflies game and an additional 230,000+ have attended other events at Segra Park, and we are just getting started! The best is truly yet to come for the BullStreet District, the Columbia Fireflies and Segra Park and we hope that you will join us for the ride!

Thank you for joining us for a Columbia Fireflies game, and we hope that you will have a world class experience at Segra Park. Please come back and visit us again soon for another Fireflies game 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

Concession Map..........................................

8

Kansas City Royals System.....................

10

Carolina League...........................................

11

Fireflies Coaching Staff............................

15

Fireflies Roster.............................................

16-17

2022 Big Red Barn Concert...................

18

Ticket Information.......................................

20-21

Making a Second Run in 2022 ...................

24-25

Homestand Highlights...............................

26

Upcoming Homestand..............................

27

Catch the Soda Cap Connector to Segra Park Leave the parking and driving to us Shuttles available every Columbia Fireflies home game The Soda Cap Connector is Columbia’s premier downtown shuttle that takes you to restaurants, attractions and entertainment for only $1.00 to ride. Shuttles begin one hour before the game, continue until one hour after the game and run every 25-30 minutes. Masks are required on all vehicles until further notice.

CATCHTHECOMET.ORG | 803-255-7100 |

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

4

segra park map

5

6

concession map

A: LOW N' SLOW BBQ B: POP! / HEALTHY CART C: FUNNEL VISION D: SCOOPS!

1. CONCESSION STAND 2. CONCESSION STAND 3. CONCESSION STAND 4. CONCESSION STAND 5. SWEETWATER BAR 6. BUDWEISER BOWTIE BAR

E: DIPPIN’ DOTS F: SUPER GYRO G: SWEET CAROLINA’S / OREO CHURROS H: SCOOPS! I: PINEAPPLE CART SQUEEZE & FREEZE J: JUANATHANS K CRAFT CORNER L: SCOOPS! M: BOILED PEANUTS/PRETZELS N: PHILLY CART O: POP! P: DIPPIN’ DOTS Q: EL TORO MEXICAN

8 88

99

kansas city royals minor league system

10

carolina league

11

12

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 803.888.3023 EVENTS@COLUMBIAFIREFLIES.COM SEGRAPARK.COM

CONFERENCE ROOM

BROAD RIVER BALCONY

THE MASON JAR COLUMBIA FIREFLIES TEAM STORE

store hours

Mon.-Fri 10:00am-5:00pm Sat. & Sun. Closed

2022 fireflies coaching staff

Jesus Azuaje

Tony Peña Jr.

John Habyan

Hitting Coach

Manager

Pitching Coach

Joe Pedulla

Glenn Hubbard

Chris Nelson

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Bench Coach

Assistant Hitting Coach

15

2022 fireflies roster pitchers

25

32

28

23

6' 3" 195 R-R 08-21-2001 P - Luinder Avila

P - Luis Barroso

6' 4" 230 R-R 11-03-1999 P - Wander Arias

5' 11" 204 L-L 06-12-1999 P - Jack Aldrich

6' 3" 165 R-R 09-07-1998

Caracas, VZ

David, Panama

Oak Park, CA

Sabana Grande de Palenquie, D.R.

35

39

29

16

6' 1" 194 R-R 06-29-2002 P -Jonatan Bernal Mazatlan, Mexico

6' 0" 218 R-R 11-07-2000 P - Mason Barnett

6' 2" 205 R-R 07-01-2001 P - Ben Hernandez

P - Ben Kudrna

6' 3" 175 R-R 01-30-2003 Shawnee Mission, KS

Kennesaw, GA

Chicago, IL

22

51

36

36

6' 3" 230 L-R 01-27-1998 P - John McMillon

6' 3" 175 L-L 06-19-2003 P - Frank Mozzicato

6' 3" 220 R-R 10-30-2001 P - Shane Panzini

P - Cooper McKeehan

6' 1" 195 L-L 03-28-2001

Lufkin, TX

Hartford, CT

Spring Lake, NJ

Ann Arbor, MI

38

26

27

19

P - Ben Sears

6' 2" 210 L-L 10-26-1997 P - Ben Wereski

P - Oscar Rayo

P - Marlin Willis

6' 5" 208 R-R 06-15-2000

6' 1" 180 L-L 01-13-2002

6' 4" 190 L-L 06-05-98

Providence, RI

Decatur, GA

Managua, NIC

Decatur, GA

16

catchers

12

24

11

5'11" 170 R-R 12-10-2001 C - Omar Hernandez

C - Kyle Hayes

6' 1" 210 L-R 07-03-2003 C - Carter Jensen

6' 2" 190 R-R 10-08-97

La Habana, CU

Vienna, VA

Kansas City, MO

infielders

8

13

6

6' 1" 170 R-R 10-09-2001 IF - Yeudi Advincola San Cristobal, DR

IF - Dayton Dooney

IF - Guillermo Quintana

6' 0" 190 S-R 08-21-1999

6' 1" 180 R-R 03-16-2001

Cartagena, COL

Santiago, DR

2

31

6' 0" 150 R-R 12-15-2003 IF - Daniel Vazquez

IF - Caydan Wallace

6' 1" 205 R-R 08-07-2001

Villa Mella, DR

Little Rock, AR

outfielders

1

9

33

0

OF - Javier Vaz

5' 10" 190 L-L 10-25-2000 OF - Jean Ramirez

OF - Gavin Cross

OF - David Hollie

5' 9" 151

L-R

6' 3" 210 L-L 02-13-2001

6' 2" 205 R-R 10-25-1999 Santo Domingo, D.R.

09-22-2000 Huntsville, AL.

Bristol, TN

Mao, D.R.

17

2022 salem red sox

Pitchers: 37

Infielders: 12

Angel Acevedo

Andy Atwood

24 Dylan Burns 18 Adisyn Coffey 29 Hunter Dollander 15 Rigo Fernandez 9 Haylen Green 35 Liam Jenkins 39 Jared Kelley 28 Tyson Messer 32 Noah Owen 30 Bowen Plagge 16 Jonah Scolaro 27 Kohl Simas 11 Tristan Stivors 14 Jesus Valles 20 Frander Veras

25 DJ Gladney 10 Wes Kath 31

Samil Polanco Wilber Sanchez Jordan Sprinkle Wilfred Veras

1

6 7

Outfielders: 21

Benyamin

4 5 2

James Beard Jacob Burke Logan Glass

Catchers: 17

Colby Smelley Nick Thornquist

13

8

Victor Torres

CLICK FOR ROSTER DETAILS

18

19

fireflies tickets

106

KIDS ZONE

BOWTIE BAR

Individual Game Tickets

$5/seat

$10/seat

$8/seat (Quantities of 4 or 6)

$14/seat

$10/seat

$16/seat

$11/seat

$56/box (4 seats)

$12/seat

$60/table (4 seats)

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.

20

Full Season Tickets

$3,300/table

$735/seat*

$2,995/table

$630/seat

$1,050/seat*

$540/seat

$540/seat*

$330/seat

*Multi-year commitment required

Half Season (33 Games) Half Season Tickets

$330/seat

$299/seat

7 th Inning All-Star Seating Stretch Plans 7 Game Plans $77/seat 14 Game Plans $154/seat 21 Game Plans $220/seat

click for more information

Individual Tickets

Groups Tickets

Season Tickets

Interested in Group Outings or Memberships? Call 803-726-4487 ext 2 or email sales@columbiafireflies.com

21

Upcoming Community Organizations of the Game Please stop by their kiosks during the game and learn more about these important local organizations! 9/8 - Central Carolina Community Foundation 9/9 - Key Change Therapy 9/10 - Boy's & Girls Club 9/11 - 9/11 Foundation

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 our front office at 803.726.4487.

Making a Second Run in 2022 By John Kocsis Jr.

“From last four in, to last team standing, Ole Miss has won the College World Series.” Mike Monaco bellowed after Brandon Johnson tossed a curveball passed the swinging bat of Oklahoma Sooner’s designated hitter Sebastian Orduno to win his Alma Mater’s first College World Series. It was a long journey for the right- handed reliever. He had two division two offers out of high school, and

the Tuscaloosa native committed to the University of Alabama-Huntsville to begin his collegiate career. “I went there for a year, redshirted and decided to go a different route,” Johnson explains. “I went to Junior College at Columbia State Community College for the next two years.” It was time for Johnson to move on for junior college in 2020, but that was the COVID year, which gave the pitcher an extra calendar year to decide where he would attend. He ultimately decided to stray away from him home Crimson Tide and moved to the state’s next-door neighbor to attend Ole Miss. “It was the best decision for me because it was a great opportunity for me in baseball, but it also had what I wanted to pursue academically in a degree in Mechanical Engineering.” Johnson explains. Immediately, Johnson was tasked with pitching in high-leverage situations for the Rebels, making 18 relief appearances in his junior campaign, finishing 1-0 with a 4.70 ERA. He pitched twice in the SEC tournament in 2021 and was on the mound in the Super Regionals as the Rebels faced-off with Arizona after being the last team to punch their ticket to the Super Regionals. “They were the best offensive team in college baseball that year. You’re standing on the mound against a team that kid hit the ball really well, so you have to think about how you can execute your game plan to the best of your ability, because that was a team that didn’t really have too many flaws,” Johnson tells. Against all odds, the significant underdog was able to force a monumental game three against the Wildcats. That’s where the 2021 run would end though, as the Rebels lost 16-2 after winning 45 games and making it to the final game of the Super Regionals. The Rebels were back in 2022. They roared out and won 42 games and were the 64th team to punch their tickets to the NCAA Tournament. As fate would have it, they drew a card to play Arizona again early in the playoffs. “It was a fluke that we met them in Miami, but it was really cool that we were able to play them in a double elimination game because we have had so much respect for them coming from what happened the year before,” Johnson relays. “We were able to get a bit of revenge for the year before when we eliminated them.” Ole Miss was able to upend Arizona 7-4 before beating

the top-seeded Miami to punch their tickets to a second-consecutive Super Regional berth. At that point, the bats got hot. Ole Miss started rolling through opponents. Their use for the closer went down significantly for that time, because there were no save situations for Ole Miss in the Super Regional. The righty tossed 41.2 innings in 24 appearances in the regular season, fanning 71

hitters and earning 12 saves, but after he pitched 1.2 innings vs Miami June 5 to close out a 2-1 victory over the Hurricanes, he didn’t enter a game again until the Rebels played against Arkansas June 20. The 15 days between games were by far the longest time between games that Johnson had taken in the 2022 season. So, Johnson entered and threw 19 pitches to get through one inning as Ole Miss ousted Arkansas 13-5. Six days later, the stakes were much higher when Johnson entered the game. It was Game Two of the College World Series and it was Johnson’s job to handle the ninth inning. If he could hold a 4-2 lead, the Rebels would have their first ever College World Series title. Johnson struck out the first pair of batters he saw. Then he got ahead 1-2 to Orduno. Orduno fouled off a pitch that allowed the Tuscaloosa native to sit back and appreciate how big the moment was that he was in. He threw the curveball that ended it and then Johnson blacked out. For 25 minutes he can’t remember anything. After watching video and talking to friends about it, he’s been able to piece a lot of things back together about the electric moment. “Right before it happens, you look around and see that you’re in front of 25,000 strong Ole Miss fans who are cheering you on for their first Championship and Coach B has been in the dugout for 21 years. It was an awesome moment,” Johnson starts. “It was a really tough year for us. We were under fire after a tough start, but to put it all together and come out on top really cemented how special of a season it was.” Before the trophy came back out, Johnson was at the bottom of the dogpile, as the team celebrated the College World Series trophy moving from Starkville to Oxford, Mississippi. “At the time, the adrenalin is pumping, and you don’t really feel anything in the dog pile. But, the next morning I woke up, and I thought I broke four bones,” Johnson laughs. “There are some big boys on our team. When there’s 40 of them on top of you, you’re definitely going to feel that.” It’s been a few months since that College World Series game, and now the Fireflies are inching their way towards the end of the season. Entering the final series of the season, if Columbia can win five of their final six games, Johnson will see a team he’s on punch their tickets to the playoffs for a second time in 2022. This time though, he’s playing with Arkansas product Cayden Wallace rather than against him. He’s also joined by Levi Usher from Louisville, Mason Barnett from Auburn and Gavin Cross from Virginia Tech. All made the NCAA Tournament this last year and all have an opportunity to make it in their first professional season too.

26

Sweating an old air conditioner?

THERE’S AN EXPERT FOR THAT.

803.220.2455 MidlandAir.com

The Advantage Program TM can help you beat the summer heat without beating up your wallet. For zero dollars down and one low monthly payment, the Advantage Program delivers brand-new, energy-efficient equipment. And it includes installation, all service, all maintenance and 24/7 emergency service. Keeping everything at your house chill? There’s an Expert for that.

/COLUMBIAFIREFLIES

@COLAFIREFLIES

@COLAFIREFLIES

(803) 726-4487 INFO@COLUMBIAFIREFLIES.COM

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31

www.milb.com

Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker