Spinners Roll to 3-0 Start

Spinners Return to WFJA for 2024

By Austin Thomas

Friday, June 7th, will see the home opener for the 2024 Sanford Spinners squad. There are a lot of familiar elements to this year’s team – for starters, Coach Jeremy Palme is back at the helm for his fourth season. Fan-favorites Aaron Kimbel (William Peace University), AJ Ciacco (Catawba Valley CC), Coleman McGinnis (UNC Asheville), and others, will make their return to Sanford. Tramway Park, located on the campus of Southern Lee, will once again be the home site for the Spinners and last, but not least, WFJA will again be the official broadcast home of the Spinners, carrying every home game on 105.5 FM and on the station website.

But with all of the familiarity surrounding the organization, a team that finished 20-14 last year in the Old North State League, reaching the playoffs, there are some fresh faces as well. Firstly, the Spinners have a new owner – Al Anderson – who purchased the team at the conclusion of last season, under the umbrella of Anderson Sports Group, an all-around sports media production company. Another new face for the Spinners leadership comes from the General Manager position; Dr. Carl Bryan, recently retired from Central Carolina Community College, now oversees the day-to-day operations of the club.

On the field, the Spinners bolster some new names, but names that should be familiar to local baseball fans. Recent Lee County High graduate BJ Brown (UNC Wilmington) has joined the Spinners for 2024, while former Southern Lee standouts Ashton Donathan (UNC Pembroke) and Pierce Bouwman (Transfer Portal) return to their old stomping grounds at Tramway Park. Also joining the returning local players will be Grace Christian standout Riley Mullen.

The Spinners have been road warriors through the first week of the season, currently sitting at 3-0. Through their first three games, the Spinners offense has plated 35 runs, while the pitching staff has allowed only a total of 5 runs. This early success, in a large part, can be attributed to the depth of this year’s roster, according to Coach Jeremy Palme.

“This is the deepest roster thus far in our time in the league. And this year, we put a larger emphasis on recruiting in-state talent. Combining our returning players with all of the familiar talent in the area, our team chemistry is already in such a great place, and there’s so much experience here to help the newer guys.”

From an in-game entertainment standpoint, the Spinners have plans by the handful, including a Karaoke Night, Christmas in July, and Bark in the Park – and speaking of barks, the Spinners have also enlisted the assistance of Murphy the Bat Dog for select home games.

“The goal is to make the Spinners a household name,” commented team owner Al Anderson.  “We want Sanford residents to know and support this team, but we also want to make the Spinners a destination organization for collegiate players when they are deciding where to continue growing their skillset. I cannot commend the efforts of Carl Byran and Coach Palme enough, for what they have done in building up this organization.”

All 15 Spinners home games carried on WFJA have a 7:00 first pitch, with coverage beginning at 6:45.

For more information on the Spinners schedule and roster, visit: https://www.sanfordspinners.com/