Hickory Crawdads


The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team based in Hickory, North Carolina. They are a member of the South Atlantic League and are the Class A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They play their home games at L. P. Frans Stadium, which opened in 1993 and has roughly 4,000 fixed seats.
Established in 1993, the Crawdads were affiliated with the Chicago White Sox through 1998. They became a farm club of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1999 and won the South Atlantic League championship in 2002 and 2004. Hickory has been affiliated with the Texas Rangers since 2009. The Crawdads won a third SAL championship in 2015.
Through the 2019 season, Hickory has played in 3,743 regular season games and compiled a win–loss record of 1,898–1,845. In 11 postseason appearances, they have won four division titles and three league championships. The team has an overall postseason record of 23–20.

History

Several minor league baseball teams known as the Hickory Rebels played in Hickory, North Carolina, intermittently from 1936 to 1960. Local businessman Don Beaver purchased the Gastonia Rangers and relocated them from Gastonia, North Carolina, to Hickory for the 1993 season. Fans were invited to submit suggestions for the team's name. Among the finalists were "Woodchucks", "River Rats", "Valley Cats", and "Hound Dogs". The chosen name, "Crawdads", was selected because of the animals' strength and presence in local waterways.
The Crawdads played in the South Atlantic League as the Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in their inaugural 1993 season. The six-year affiliation regularly saw Hickory at or near the bottom of the standings, though they did qualify for the playoffs twice. On both occasions, however, they were eliminated without winning any games. The affiliation ended after the 1998 season with team accumulating a 374–464 record over that period.
Hickory entered into a new affiliation with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1999. The Crawdads reached the postseason in five of ten seasons with Pittsburgh. They won two South Atlantic League championships, the first in 2002 and the second in 2004. The affiliation ended after the 2008 season with Hickory going 705–677 over a span of 10 years.
The Crawdads became an affiliate of the Texas Rangers in 2009. Since then, they have reached the SAL finals on two occasions and won the championship in 2015. Following the 2017 season, the Rangers purchased the team from Beaver.

Season-by-season results

Roster

Awards

Four players and two managers have won South Atlantic League awards in recognition for their performance with the Crawdads.
AwardRecipientSeason
SAL Most Valuable Player2000
SAL Most Valuable Player2002
SAL Most Valuable Player2003
SAL Most Valuable Player2011
SAL Most Outstanding Prospect2002
SAL Manager of the Year1994
SAL Manager of the Year2002

Notable alumni

Conrad the Crawdad has been the official mascot of the Crawdads since 1993. Conrad, along with his wife Candy, entertain fans during games. The two got engaged on Mother's Day weekend in 2018 and were married in an on-field ceremony on June 24, 2018.