NEW HANOVER COUNTY (NC) - The prospect of minor league baseball returning to Wilmington could result in the end of the road for the Wilmington Sharks.
"If everything comes to fruition then that would be the end of the Sharks organization." Sharks General Manager Andrew Aguilar said Tuesday evening.
As a member of the Coastal Plain League the Sharks have called Wilmington home for the past 15 seasons. There is not another CPL host city that is also home to a minor league baseball affiliate.
During the 2001 season the Sharks found themselves in direct competition with the Wilmington Waves, the Low-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers who departed prior to the 2002 season. Aguilar was not with the Sharks at that time, but is certain had the Waves remained in Wilmington for more than one season, the Sharks could have left town then.
"Two teams like that cannot co-exist in a market like this." Aguilar said. "It would just be a matter of time before on organization like ours would have to pull out."
Aguilar is no stranger to the possibilities of a baseball franchise folding. During the 2004 season he was the assistant general manager of the Jackson [Mississippi] Senators when an Atlanta Braves AA affiliate moved to a nearby town.
"We tried to co-exist and did so for a year, but during the second year my owner decided it was just too much."
During Tuesday's press conference Mayor Bill Saffo indicated if approved, the new 6,000 seat multi-purpose stadium would be operational in 2014 which gives the Sharks plenty of time to do what they've been doing, and plan ahead for the future.
"We're moving forward as we would have had the press conference not taken place, you know there's nothing certain on the horizon right now."
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