FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tobacco State League Returns to North Carolina for Summer 2025
SANFORD, NC — Roughly 70 years after the Tobacco State League played its final out, professional baseball is returning to small-town North Carolina.
AzTarHeel Media & Entertainment is proud to announce the relaunch of the Tobacco State League, a modern revival of the beloved Class D circuit that once brought summer thrills to communities across the Old North State. The new league will begin play Memorial Day weekend 2025, with the playoffs concluding just before Labor Day.
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“This league is about more than baseball — it’s about honoring the communities and people who’ve always loved the game,” said TSL President Ray Franklin. “My grandfather pitched for the Dunn-Erwin Twins back in the late ’40s, so for me, this is more than a job. It’s a chance to carry forward a tradition that shaped so many lives — including mine.”
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The 2025 Tobacco State League will feature ten franchises, most of which are drawn directly from the original 1946–1950 lineup. Each team carries a nickname rooted in TSL history:
Angier-Fuquay Springs Bulls
Clinton Blues
Dunn-Erwin Twins
Lumberton Auctioneers
Red Springs Red Robins
Rockingham Eagles
Sanford Spinners
Smithfield-Selma Leafs
Warsaw Red Sox
Whiteville Tobs
Fast Facts About the 2025 Tobacco State League:- The league will operate as an independent Under-30 circuit, unaffiliated with Major League Baseball or any other professional association.
- Rosters will be composed entirely of players with North Carolina hometowns, many of whom will be recent high school and/or college graduates, or under-the-radar local talent,
- Each team will be allowed a 35-man roster (28 active, 7 reserve).
- A 54-game regular season will be played, with each team facing each of the other clubs six times (three home, three away).
- All 10 teams will qualify for the playoffs, culminating in the Golden Leaf Champions Cup, a best-of-seven series between the two finalists.
The inaugural TSL player draft will begin soon, and teams will have a short "spring training" before opening day arrives. More information will be made available in the coming weeks via the league office.
Baseball is back in the Tobacco State. And this time, it’s here to stay!
