(l-r) Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, Vicki Shanahan, Darius Rucker, Bill Shanahan, Jim Sonefeld

30th Anniversary of Hootie’s “Coming Home” Concert in 1995 as Blowfish (The Band) Reconnects With Blowfish (The Baseball Team) Colonial Life Arena….Columbia, South Carolina–Friday August 30, 2024      

Blowfish Baseball owners Vicki and Bill Shanahan, along with a sellout crowd of over 18,000, got a chance to enjoy the Hootie and the Blowfish Summer Camp with Trucks Tour Friday night at the Colonial Life Arena.

Established in 2006 Blowfish Baseball will celebrate their 20th Anniversary in 2025

The Blowfish Baseball Team was named in honor of the greatest band from the state of South Carolina. Back in the nineties Blowfish co-owner Bill Shanahan operated the Capital City Bombers (Single A Affiliate/New York Mets) in Columbia at historic Capital City Stadium. In 1995 Hootie and the Blowfish exploded on the national scene after years playing local clubs in Columbia. As the band was touring the nation they began to explore a “Coming Home” concert for Columbia where it all started. 

September 13, 1995 Hootie played their “Coming Home” concert at Capital City Stadium in front of a sellout crowd of over 11,000 fans (largest crowd in the history of this stadium built in 1927). Bill Shanahan never forgot that incredible hometown event! A decade later Shanahan was instrumental in purchasing the expansion summer collegiate franchise in 2006 to play at “The Cap” and named the team the Blowfish in honor of the band. 

On their first opening night Hootie’s drummer Jim “Soni” Sonefeld threw out the first ever ceremonial 1st pitch and for last nineteen years at Blowfish home games the team honors the band with a “Hootie” inning where they play one of the bands songs for the fans. In addition, the team has created  “Hooties’ themed player jerseys the last two seasons and in collaboration with the band has raised over $36,000 for the Lexington Medical Center Foundation.