Down East Bird Dawgs
| Down East Bird Dawgs | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Independent (2025–present) |
| League | Frontier League (2025–present) |
| Conference | Atlantic Conference |
| Division | East Division |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | none |
| Team data | |
| Name | Down East Bird Dawgs |
| Colors | Navy, orange, tan, white |
| Ballpark | Grainger Stadium (2025–present) |
Owner/ Operator | Cameron McRae |
| President | Cameron McRae |
| General manager | Shari Massengill |
| Manager | Brett Wellman |
| Media | HomeTeam Network |
| Website | downeastbirddawgs.com |
The Down East Bird Dawgs (colloquially known as the Dawgs) are a professional baseball team based in Kinston, North Carolina. The Bird Dawgs compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the Atlantic Division. The team plays its home games at Grainger Stadium.
The franchise was formed in 2025 following the folding of the Down East Wood Ducks. The Wood Ducks played eight seasons at Grainger Stadium as the Single-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers in the Carolina League, winning the Carolina League title in 2017 during their inaugural season, and making the playoffs four times: 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. In 2023, the Texas Rangers sold the Wood Ducks to Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns and operates many minor league baseball teams across the United States. The team moved to Fifth Third Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and was renamed to the Hub City Spartanburgers, playing in the South Atlantic League starting at the 2025 season.