Listen as the Fish Stick's 'CodFather' joins ESPN Radio

I'm Randy Slack, and you're listening to Sports CSP in Wilmington. I'll tell you what, it's a big day today. Of course, it's Tuesday, and we have my man, Mike Vaccaro, on a Teal Tuesday. UNC-W Men's Basketball takes on ECU tonight. You'll hear that game on our sister station, 95.9 The Breeze.

But in other local sports news, it was announced yesterday, and I'd heard some inklings, that there was going to be a new baseball team coming to Brunswick County. I was trying to pry and prod and get some information on what the name of the team would be, but it was under lock and key for a while. It was announced yesterday, and the GM of the new team in Brunswick County is here, Tom Lamont.

Randy Slack (RS): Tom, how are you? Tom Lamont (TL): I'm great, Randy. Thank you so much for having us on this morning. RS: Absolutely, thanks for coming in. Tom, for our listeners here, what is the name of the new team coming to Brunswick County this summer?TL: The new Summer Collegiate Wood Bat League team is going to be in Leland, and we'll be playing at North Brunswick High School in our first year. We are the Cape Fear Fish Sticks!RS: The Fish Sticks! That's unbelievable! I've got to ask, how did you come up with the name?

🎣 The Team Name: Cape Fear Fish Sticks

TL: We are in the Cape Fear region. Brunswick County, New Hanover County, right here in the corner of Southeastern North Carolina. We started out as Cape Fear Baseball before we came up with the name. The ownership, which is local—Robin and Emily Good, our owners here in Wilmington—did a contest for the naming. One of their friends had put in "Fish Sticks," and it sort of stuck with them—unique, different.

RS: Yeah, I know like in Huntsville, Alabama, they're the Rocket City Trash Pandas. People have some silly names. The Cape Fear Fish Sticks' mascot is incredible. It is catchy. They swing a bat, and a bat is, in fact, a stick.

🐟 Mascot Naming Contest

RS: Now you've got to come up with a name for the mascot! TL: We got all these emails overnight, all these mascot names being thrown at us.

• Sticky

• Stickley: Cute, simple, and directly tied to Fish Sticks.

• Captain Crunch: Nautical and crispy—perfect for a fish stick.

• Gordon: A nod to the famous Fisherman brand (though this might not be possible due to trademarks).

• Skipper Sticks: Playful and on theme.

• Salty: Always classic for anything ocean related.

• Finn Diesel: A strong, funny character name.

• Sir Sticks-a-Lot: Great for a mascot with personality.

• The Codfather: (Stanley B's favorite) For a mascot with authority.

• Batter Up: A punny mix of baseball and fried fish.

• The Crunch Commander

• Fry Guy, Breaded Bill, Captain Friday, Stick Fish Sam, Mackerel Max

• Tarter: Like Tarter Sauce, cute.

RS: I think you go Tarter!

🏟️ Community & Future Vision

TL: We want the Fish Sticks to be community oriented.

• We're getting the mascot in January and getting it out into the community and into schools.

• We'll be in Brunswick County, so we want to get into the elementary schools with a reading program, "Read Around the Diamond," to promote reading.

• We want to do things with nonprofits like the Department of Social Services and foster care agencies, and Special Olympics to bring kids to the ballpark for a special night and treat them to a baseball meal.

We're excited about our partnership with North Brunswick High School. We're putting some money into the field there to help the Scorpions baseball program, since they're allowing us to use their facility. Leland and Brunswick County love their baseball. We'll also be having some camps during the year.

This is the Old North State League, which is growing to 24 teams. In our division, we'll be playing Shallotte (the Swamp Dogs), Oak Island (the Squids), Jacksonville (the Ospreys), Pinehurst, and Laurenberg. This competition with Shallotte and Oak Island will build a great rivalry in these communities.

The Vision for a Complex

The vision, after this first season at North Brunswick, is for the ownership to build a complex in Brunswick County.

• It would be a complex, not just one stadium.

• The vision is for four fields with lights and artificial turf.

• The artificial turf allows you to play ball an hour after a big shower, which is great because it rains here a lot.

• Economically, if you look at what Myrtle Beach has done with their facilities, they host tournaments every weekend, bringing in people year-round.

• The facility could also be used for graduations, high school/college tournaments, and concerts.

The ownership has already met with town officials to discuss available land. Three of those fields are set up so you can play T-Ball, Little League, or whatever age, with fencing that can be put in. The facility could be a private/public partnership, but it will likely have to be primarily private to make it happen.

👥 Coaching Staff

Our coaching staff includes:

• Trent Mongero: Outstanding coach with local ties to Laney High School and Wilmington Christian.

• JD Everett: Pitching Coach, recent graduate assistant at UNC-W. Everyone says he could coach D1 right now.

• Richard Foy: Bench Coach, retired from New Hanover High School with two state championships.

These coaches are focused on developing these college players and helping them become better when they return to their schools.

➡️ Next Steps

RS: Tom, if people want to get more information on the Fish Sticks, how do you want them to get a hold of The Codfather? TL: You can visit our website at FishSticksBaseball.com. You can reach me at Tom@FishSticksBaseball.com.

We are also in the process of securing sponsorships and host families, and we encourage college players to apply on our website if they are currently in a D1, D2, or Junior College program.