New Gastonia Ballpark

Home plate entrance to CaroMont Health Park, Sep-2021.

The very compact main seating bowl is visible here.

Action in an Atlantic League game after sunset.

Chronological Tour: Stop 419

• Location: Franklin Boulevard (US 29/74) at Hill Street, Gastonia, N.C. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2021
• Home team: Gastonia Honey Hunters, Atlantic League (2021-present)
• Capacity: 5,000

Rating: 3 baseballs

The new facility, which is configured so that it can also accommodate football and soccer, replaces Sims Legion Park as the city’s baseball home. FUSE stands for Franklin Urban Sports and Entertainment, Franklin Boulevard being the street on which the site is located.

In keeping with the current trend, the ballpark is smaller (in seating capacity) than one may be accustomed to. A mere five rows of traditional seating surround the park behind home plate and down the foul lines, with a small upper deck that, in the opening season of the park, was reserved for season ticket holders. However, there are many social gathering areas, including open-air cabanas that substitute for luxury suites and at least two bar areas in the outfield.

The ballpark is built in a narrow space between Franklin Boulevard and a rail line. It is only 304 feet down the left-field line. To compensate, a large net has been erected above the left field wall, similar to the right-field netting at the Double-A ballpark in Hartford, Conn.. A ball off the net is in play. The netting serves the dual purpose of extending the height of the wall and protecting the playground area, while allowing spectators to walk around the concourse and observe the action.

Everything here is artificial turf, including the mound. That came in handy when the Atlantic League moved the pitching rubber back by one foot, to a distance of 61 feet 6 inches, midway through the 2021 season. It also allows for the mound to be easily removed and replaced when other events utilize the park. The bullpens are also in the field of play, within the foul ball area, which is expansive except directly behind the plate.

The city of Gastonia has announced that the concourse is open every morning for exercise walking, following the lead of the ballpark in Columbia, S.C.