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Burlington Sock Puppets

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Burlington Sock Puppets
Information
LeagueAppalachian League
LocationBurlington, North Carolina
BallparkBurlington Athletic Stadium
Founded2021
Division championships2 (2022), (2023)
ColorsBlack, blue, red, white
       
OwnershipBrittany & Ryan Keur (Knuckleball Entertainment)
General ManagerAnderson Rathbun
WebsiteOfficial website

The Burlington Sock Puppets are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They are located in Burlington, North Carolina, and play their home games at Burlington Athletic Stadium, informally nicknamed "Sockville".

History

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Previous Burlington teams

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Professional baseball was first played in Burlington, North Carolina, from 1958 to 1964 by the Burlington Indians, who competed in the Carolina League (Class B through 1962; thereafter Class A) as a Cleveland Indians farm club. Twenty-two years later, Cleveland placed the Burlington Indians in the Appalachian League as a Rookie-level affiliate from 1986 to 2006.[1] They were known as the Burlington Royals during an affiliation with the Kansas City Royals from 2007 to 2020.

Collegiate summer team

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In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league, and the Burlington Royals were replaced by a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.[2] The new team became known as the Burlington Sock Puppets.[3] The nickname refers to Burlington's textile heritage.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Hill, Benjamin. Burlington makes Royal move, minorleaguebaseball.com. September 1, 2006.
  2. ^ "MLB, USA Baseball Announce New Format for Appalachian League". Major League Baseball. September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  3. ^ "New for 2021: Burlington Sock Puppets". Ballpark Digest. February 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Burlington Baseball unveils its new brand: the Sock Puppets". WJHL. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
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