FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 5, 2023
Blowfish to become the “Hooties” Friday June 16th
Players will wear specially designed jerseys honoring the greatest band from South Carolina
LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC — Originally named the Blowfish as a nod to South Carolina’s most popular band, Hootie and the Blowfish, the Lexington County Blowfish announced today through General Manager Tony Baldwin that they will flip the script for only one night this summer and play as the “Hooties”.
CLICK HERE FOR WLTX NEWS STORY ON JERSEY
On June 16 versus the Catawba Valley Stars, fans will be able to witness the Hooties take the field at Lexington County Baseball Stadium. To commemorate the night, the team collaborated with Skye Design Studios, a national leader in sports branding with clients that include Major League Baseball, the NBA and a variety of colleges and universities to design special one-of-a-kind jerseys. The jerseys will start as a dark shade of cyan-blue at the top and blend into green at the bottom. They will feature “Hooties” across the chest and a treble staff on the back along with the team’s standard nickname, “Blowfish”.
“The uniform is a fun tribute to the legend that is Hootie and the Blowfish,” said Skye Dillon, owner of Skye Design Studios. “It was a pleasure to partner with the team on yet another exciting uniform design.”
Hootie & The Blowfish Band Members sporting the “Hooties” Jerseys at Hootie Fest in Cancun
(L-R) Dean Felber, Mark Bryan, Darius Rucker, Jim Sonefeld
The team further partnered with both the band as well as Lexington Medical Center Foundation. The jerseys will be auctioned off that night with the proceeds benefiting the LMC Foundation. A non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, the LMC Foundation supports the vision of providing quality health services that meet the needs of its community by both supporting its physicians and staff with innovative and leading edge technology, as well as enhancing hospital services and providing hope through patient and community programs. Anticipating great interest in these specialty jerseys, the team also announced that bidding would begin today and run up till 9 p.m. (EST) on the night of the game, Friday, June 16.
“The Shanahans as well as the Blowfish organization’s commitment to the Lexington Medical Center Foundation allows us to lift burdens from our patients, our employees and our community through powerful and life-saving programs and resources” said Lexington Medical Center Foundation Executive Director Amy Lanier. “It’s an honor to be a part of “Hooties” night with the Blowfish!”
After sharing the news with Hootie & The Blowfish, the band expanded its support by offering to match up to $10,000 in the silent auction.
“The Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation is proud to partner with the Lexington County Blowfish Baseball Club to provide a matching gift for the Lexington Medical Center Foundation and help provide assistance to community members of the Midlands through its many great programs and initiatives,” said Foundation Director Chris Carney.
The Lexington County Blowfish are entering their 18th season in 2023 (9 years at Capital City Stadium/Columbia and our 9th year at Lexington County Baseball Stadium in Lexington County). In 2005 when Bill & Vicki Shanahan brought the Coastal Plain League summer collegiate team to Columbia, they wanted to honor the band for all it had accomplished for the City of Columbia, the Midlands and the whole state of South Carolina. Many years before that, Bill was the General Manager of the Capital City Bombers (New York Mets Single-A affiliate) and in September of 1995, Capital City Stadium was the host venue for Hootie and the Blowfish in their “Coming Home Concert”. It was the largest crowd in the history of the stadium with over 11,000 in attendance. Bill never forgot about that night and how special it was and it helped decide what the new team’s name should be…The Blowfish! The team actually honors the band each game with a “Hootie Inning” where they play a Hootie and the Blowfish song for the fans at the ballpark.
Fans are encouraged to start bidding on their favorite jersey by visiting this link: https://qtego.net/qlink/blowfishbaseball. Additionally, be sure to you have your tickets to Hooties night at Lexington County Baseball Stadium. Click Here For Tickets or by contacting the club at 803.254.FISH (3474). For more information log on to www.goblowfish.com or contact [email protected].
###
