The generically named Gastonia Baseball Club, a North Carolina-based team in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, has taken a decidedly not generic approach to selecting a permanent brand. The team has spent the season playing in a series of seven potential identities, giving local fans the chance to see them in action before voting on their favorite.
Fans will have the chance to vote here on the seven options listed below, all created by Delaware-based Barn Creative, as well as the team’s current working title, the Gastonia Baseball Club, to determine the final selection.
Gastonia Gastronauts
The term Gastronauts plays off the first three letters of the town name, featuring an outer space theme. (Much better than another potential nickname, Gastroenterologists.)
Gastonia Bolognia
The uniquely spelled version of the classic lunchmeat is a tribute to a food item often enjoyed in the south.
Gastonia Galactic Dinos
The merging of outer space and natural history is a tribute to the local Schiele Museum of Natural History.
Gastonia Ghost Peppers
The one-time hottest pepper in the world was cultivated not in North Carolina, but in India—but it offers the opportunity for a spicy, alliterative brand.
Gastonia Zombees
The nickname is a tribute to Gastonia becoming the 74th city in the United States to earn the designation Bee City USA, celebrating the importance of our buzzing buddies to the natural environment.
Gastonia Garden Gnomes
Rated Triple-G, this brand features ceramic creatures known for bringing good luck.
Gastonia Yarniaks
Half yarn, half yak, this brand plays off Gastonia’s textile history.
Fan voting will end August 30, and the new nickname will debut with the Atlantic League’s 2025 season in May.
