Segra Park
Columbia, SC
Review by Gary
The Columbia Fireflies were born in 2016 at their luminous new stadium in Columbia, South Carolina after 20 years in Savannah, Georgia as the Sand Gnats. Unable to acquire a new stadium or fix up historic Grayson Stadium, the owners pulled up stakes and headed one hundred fifty miles north.
The Fireflies play in the Low-A Carolina League in a ballpark that holds 9,500 glowing fans. Located in the heart of South Carolina’s capital, Segra Park and the Fireflies brought baseball back to Columbia for the first time since 2004.
On the day I drove by the park, I ambled into an open door and ran into the team president, Brad Shank, who was very nice to let me take some photos, including a visit to the suite level to snap a few shots of this excellent stadium. The rain was falling with vigor and pattered on the tarp-covered field hours before a night game while the stadium sound system played rain-themed hit songs.
Individual fixed seats line the seating bowl and are flanked by plentiful picnic table seating areas down both lines. Segra Park boasts 16 luxury suites, a 7,000 square-foot club lounge and is open 365 days a year. It serves as a public park, with a 365-degree concourse for fans to grab a view of the game or event on the field at any angle.
The Fireflies sport a very cool logo and the team uniforms feature glow-in-the-dark elements emblematic of the actual lightning bugs that reside at a nearby park. The most interesting feature of Segra Park is the jaggedy outfield wall that varies in height from pole to pole, resulting in unpredictable caroms from balls striking it. The inviting 319-foot left field corner must certainly be tempting for any right-handed hitter.
Thanks to Brad for allowing me to check out the ballpark on a rainy afternoon in June 2022.
2022
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