Myrtle Beach Pelicans Offer Good Times and Future Stars

A father leads his excited children into the stadium. Friends, young and old, share a laugh, a drink and ponder who on the field will make it will make it to The Show. The intimate ballpark allows fans a close look at rising professional athletes and the most expensive seat ($11) is equal to the cost of a 16-ounce beer at the new Yankee Stadium.

A minor league baseball game is an attractive entertainment option because of its broad appeal, and nowhere is that more evident than BB&T Coastal Field, home of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the high A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.

Some fans attend because of a love of the game, others to spend time soaking up the sun. Sometimes a bat giveaway or Thirsty Thursdays will bring a group to the game. The Myrtle Beach Pelicans have grown into one of the Grand Strand’s most popular activities for plenty of reasons.

The Pelicans (official site) have sent 65 players to the Major Leagues in their first 10 years, including current Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal, and have the fifth ranked prospect, OF Jason Heyward, in all of baseball on this year’s team.

Beyond the game itself, the Pelicans, who draw more than 3,000 fans per night, offer a good time.

“It’s the affordability, it’s the fun, it’s the food, it’s coming out and seeing great baseball,” Myrtle Beach Pelicans GM North Johnson said.

The fun fans experience is something the Pelicans have worked hard to create. Johnson and his staff run promotions that range from sumo wrestling between innings (a contest Johnson personally referees) to manager Rocket Wheeler throwing bubble gum to the crowd. Players sign autographs before and after games and fans under the age of 14 get to run the bases.

The result is a bond between the team and its fans that has been beneficial to both parties. Many teams allows young fans to run the bases after selected games, but the Pelicans, because of their large number of out-of-town followers, do it after every game.

The Pelicans have a distinct family appeal, but the experience offers more than enough to satisfy a boys’ night out.  Thirsty Thursdays, which feature $1 beers, serve as a defacto Happy Hour, running from 5:30 to 7:30.

“Most golfers are off the course by 4:30 or 5 o’clock. Our games start at 7 and end by 10 so you have time to do something afterwards, too,” Johnson said. “There is nothing better than getting in 18 holes of golf and using the ballpark as the 19th hole.”

The Pelicans offer the added benefit of one of the nicest stadiums in minor league baseball. Located on 21st Avenue North, across from  Broadway at the Beach, BB&T Coastal Field occupies some of the Grand Strand’s premier real estate, making it easily accessible to everyone in the area.  

Coastal Field seats more than 6,000 people and has been at or near capacity numerous times in the past year, most notably when it hosted the Carolina League All-Star game and welcomed MLB stars Tom Glavine, Mike Hampton and Brian McCann for rehab starts.

Toss in a Major League caliber video scoreboard and a beach built down the leftfield line and it’s easy to see why a night at the ballpark is high atop the “To Do” list for many Myrtle Beach visitors.

“People have a great time,” Johnson said. “They leave the ballpark with a smile on their face.”

More often than not, they bring a smile with them when they come back the following year.

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