Lynchburg is carrying out a $5.3 million renovation of its City Stadium after the newly branded Hill City Howlers minor league baseball team renewed its lease with the stadium for the next 15 years, with plans to complete the project by the start of the 2027 baseball season.
The Howlers, formerly the Lynchburg Hillcats, are the Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians that play in the Carolina League.
Renovations are set to include a carnival section focused on children’s games, a new scoreboard with an electronic ribbon board, improved sound systems, an expanded team store and improved grab-and-go dining options.
Jason Prill, the director of broadcast and media relations for the Howlers, has worked with the team for over four years.
“The stadium renovation is essentially a fan-forward, focused renovation project in upgrading the stadium from the 1930s all the way now until the 2020s,” Prill said. “It has some upgrades and it has some changes, but there’s a lot of the original ballpark still there and a lot of things that need to be upgraded.”
The renovations and the city’s renewal of the stadium’s lease to the Howlers ensure baseball fans in the Lynchburg area can continue attending games for the foreseeable future and confirm the team will not be leaving any time soon.
“There was one (team) up in Maryland that actually, the city voted against securing the lease and they lost their baseball team because of it,” Prill said. “This lease is going to allow us to keep the team in Lynchburg, keep baseball around and will prevent any movement, any changes — at least, major changes — from our current lease for another 15 years.”
The Howlers continue to make big changes to help their team stay modern and keep fans interested. They have introduced a new logo, new color scheme and new lines of merchandise.
Many of the changes in the past year have followed the purchase of the team by a new owner, who was previously a minority owner of the Albuquerque Isotopes, the Triple-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
“I think it all started when our new owner came in last season, his name is Dylan Narang,” Riley Clingman, marketing and promotions associate for the Howlers said. “I think when he came in, he kind of just wanted to start making the stadium something new again for the City of Lynchburg, and that’s kind of started with the rebrand itself, with Hill City Howlers bringing something new.”
Narang’s efforts to rebrand the team were focused on trying to bring more excitement to more than just his team.
“We needed some energy,” Narang said according to the Howlers’ MiLB news page. “Getting a jolt of energy to the team, to the organization, and to the community, was important. And what we landed on is something that has not been done before in Minor League Baseball.”
General Manager Matt Ramstead expressed excitement about both the rebranding and renovations. Ramstead is in his eighth year with the team and is in his fourth season as general manager.
“The Howlers represent an exciting time to be a fan of baseball in Lynchburg,” Ramstead said. “With the upgrades coming to City Stadium and the renewed investment in the community, this forward-thinking rebrand sets the course for creating something the community can rally behind.”
More information about the Howlers, including their upcoming season, can be found at www.milb.com/hill-city.
Kelly is an off-campus news reporter for the Liberty Champion.