HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Professional baseball is one step closer to returning to Hagerstown.
On Tuesday Downtown Baseball, LLC. announced the new name of a team that will play in the professional Atlantic League next summer.
Following a 'Name the Team' contest that generated numerous suggestions, team owners chose to go with the Hagerstown Flying Boxcars.
The name reflects boxcar looking airplanes that Fairchild manufactured in Hagerstown between 1944 and 1955.
Hagerstown is the former home of the Suns, which served as a minor league affiliate for several Major League Baseball teams, including the Orioles, between 1993 and 2020.
After the 2020 season was canceled Major League Baseball decided to cut ties with the Suns, formally ending their time as a professional baseball team.
The old Municipal Stadium, where they played, ended up being demolished a short time later.
The new team will play at the yet to be completed Hagerstown Multi-Use Sports and Events Facility, which is expected to open in spring 2024.
For anyone interested in tracking the progress of construction at the facility, a 24/7 live camera feed can be viewed here.
A similar situation happened to the former Keys baseball club in nearby Frederick.
MORE: Professional baseball returns to Frederick in 2023
They also joined the Atlantic League and recently revealed their new team name, The Spire City Ghost Hounds.
The Frederick team was able to keep their stadium operational, allowing them to already compete this season.
Major League Baseball has since re-partnered with Frederick as part of its short-season amateur draft league.
With that the Keys name stuck, and now two separate teams play at Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium under the same ownership.
