Asheboro, NC

The Asheboro Copperheads have been a solid hit in this community for 11 years.

The Copperheads are a collegiate, wooden-bat baseball team that competes during the summer in the Coastal Plain League. The league features teams from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, and the season takes place from late May through the middle of August.

“When all of the various local college seasons end in late May, players can then join our roster to play baseball throughout the summer months,” says Aaron Pugh, whose family – Asheboro-based Pugh Oil Co. – owns the Copperheads. “To play for us, student-athletes must still be on their college rosters and have at least one year of eligibility left at their respective schools. Plus, they must have good grades in college to play during the summer.”

The Copperheads schedule a 56-game regular season, and professional baseball scouts are often in attendance.

“I, myself, played for the team for two years when I was in college,” Pugh says. “The Copperheads are in the 12th year of ownership by my family, and we play our home games at historic McCrary Park.”

The ballpark was constructed in 1946 by McCrary Mills and was home to the highly successful McCrary Eagles industrial-league team from 1946 to 1957.

“Today, besides the Copperheads, the ballpark is used by Asheboro High School, as well as the Randolph County American Legion Post 45 baseball team,” Pugh says. “McCrary Park is in use 10 months out of the year and welcomes more than 60,000 fans annually.”

Pugh says the Copperheads average about 1,000 spectators at each home game, and he believes McCrary Park is the best baseball facility in the entire Coastal League.

“The city of Asheboro is home to a great zoo, while nearby Seagrove is known for its pottery, but baseball gives everyone a centrally located family outing right in the heart of Randolph County,” he says. “The Copperheads are an excellent entertainment value on summer nights.”

David Camp is the team’s general manager, in charge of everything from compiling the player roster to lining up advertisers.

“I’m a local guy and a big baseball fan, so I enjoy promoting a worthwhile product such as the Copperheads,” he says. “This team does a lot for the community, and I’m glad to be a part of it all.”

Camp says that besides the regular season, the Copperheads will also be involved with hosting the prestigious North Carolina American Legion Tournament in 2010. That event will take place at McCrary Park from July 24-28.

“The Kiwanis Club of Asheboro will help us stage the tourney, and some excellent baseball will be played that weekend,” he says. “I hope fans support the Legion tournament as well as the Copperheads throughout the 2010 season.”