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Gastonia Grizzlies mull options as pandemic derails planned farewell

GASTONIA, N.C. — The Gastonia Grizzlies were supposed to be playing their final season in their current home in 2020, but the Covid-19 outbreak has thrown the team’s plans for a farewell into disarray.

The team was passed over for the right to play in the new, $26.2 million baseball stadium at Gastonia’s Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment District. The city chose the proposal from the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball instead, leaving the Grizzlies, a collegiate summer league team, without a home for the long-term future.

Grizzlies owner Matt Perry told the Charlotte Business Journal in February that the team was exploring its options for relocation elsewhere in the Southeast. However, the team hoped to have one final season at Gastonia’s Sims Legion Park this summer.

On June 26, the Grizzlies announced they would not play in 2020 due to the pandemic. So what does that mean for the team’s future plans? Perry told CBJ on Monday that the team is exploring several options for the 2021 season.