A Spirited Effort in Columbia

Walking up to Spirit Communications Park, Sep-2016.

A look in from down the left-field line.

The view from behind the plate.

Chronological Tour: Stop 385

• Location: Colonial Drive between Bull Street and Harden Street, Columbia, S.C. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2016 as Spirit Communications Park
• Additional names: Segra Park (2019)
• Home team: Columbia Fireflies, South Atlantic League (2016-19), Carolina League (2021-present)
• Capacity: 7,501 (fixed seating)

Rating: 4 baseballs

Several of the old buildings on the property continue to stand and are still used by the state Department of Mental Health. But as of 2016, the stadium essentially stood alone in the expansive, 157-acre tract, a mile or so north of the state capitol and the University of South Carolina.

As part of the development process, the city-owned facility is “open” at times when there is no game being played. Locals are encouraged to walk in and take walking or jogging laps around the concourse, which encircles the entire stadium and measures about a third of a mile. This, too, will certainly become more popular as the parcel redevelopment takes hold.

The team that relocated to Columbia was the former Savannah Sand Gnats, then a New York Mets farm team playing at Grayson Stadium, some of whose bones date to 1927. (The Mets have since moved on.) The contrast beteween the facilities cannot be more evident. Interestingly, the previous Columbia team, playing at Capital City Stadium from 1983 to 2004, was also a Mets farm club; the affiliation changed when that club moved upstate to Greenville.

As the result of a merger between Spirit Communications and another technology company, the park became known as Segra Park in 2019.

Getting to the Game

Since the parking is spread out, there are shuttles that run to bring patrons directly to the park entrance. After the game, some primary alleys through the complex are restricted to pedestrians and unavailable for use by motorists attempting to leave the area.

By the time of my 2023 visit, most patrons were being directed to a parking garage that costs $7. In 2024, it cost $8.

Watching the Game

As one might expect, the park also includes picnic areas, outfield grass seating, and a bar in center field. The night I attended was the first Saturday of the college football season, so the large-screen TVs at the outfield bar were popular. The large screens are large enough to be seen from behind home plate, although that’s a bit far to discern what is actually being televised.

Enjoying the Game

For one, there is no dedicated scoreboard here, a complaint I have had with several new parks, including the one in Birmingham. Especially between innings, the score display is prone to entirely disappearing while promotional announcements cover both the outfield matrix board and the auxiliary scoreboard mounted above the third-base grandstand.

For another, I took issue with some of the sound effects being played. These were recorded voices that were critical of calls made by the umpires. While it is well within the right of paying customers to boo the umpire, for criticism to come from the press box is thoroughly unprofessional. The sound guy became more cantankerous as the game moved into extra innings. This did not so much in evidence at the game I attended in 2018, though the Fireflies were winning most of the way.