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Batter up! There’s a new baseball team in town. The Player’s League, a collegiate league which operates out of North Carolina, has welcomed a new team to their lineup: The Outer Banks Flying Dutchmen.

Starting summer 2025, the Outer Banks Flying Dutchmen will play for the Old North State League (ONSL), the largest league among five others within the Player’s League, to compete in their Tidewater Division. They will be the sixth team in the division, joining the Clayton Clovers, Tarboro River Bandits, River City Skippers, New Bern Southpaws and Edenton Steamers.

The Outer Banks community aided in dubbing the newly named team through social media. Contestants were asked to comment name suggestions back in December, and eight names were chosen. After voting closed, the winning name was announced on January 14 and the suggested name winner received two free season tickets for the upcoming inaugural season. In a Facebook post by the Outer Banks Flying Dutchmen last Tuesday, they shared: “Get ready for excitement, family fun, and hauntingly good baseball in 2025!”

Tom Hoggard will serve as general manager for the team. Hoggard, a Kill Devil Hills resident, was approached by the league after they sought input from local community members. He accepted the position just before Christmas. “I’m very excited about season,” the new GM told The Coastland Times. “It’s great to be bringing a college wood bat team back to the Outer Banks. We’ve had a collegiate team on and off throughout the years, so I know the community will support us.”

Hoggard shared that Mason Burns will serve as coach of the Outer Banks Flying Dutchmen, and they hope to have the roster finalized by mid-February.

In a press release from ONSL, Alec Allred, president and CEO of The Players League, shared, “What I’ve seen [is] summer college baseball grow across the state. I think it’s a great thing. I tell people there’s no such thing as too much baseball.”

The Outer Banks Flying Dutchmen will be hosting its games during the months of June and July at First Flight High School. The team’s new coaching staff is currently actively recruiting players to add to the team. The league asks those interested in hosting one of these players to fill out a form on their website. More information can be found at oldnorthstateleague.com/home.

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