Public split on new name as Tourists kick off home season at HomeTrust Park

Yesterday evening, the Asheville Tourists went to bat with the Greenville Drive for the team's opening home game, their first following a $38.5 million renovation of the ballpark. For guests, the evening marked the debut of the stadium's new name, HomeTrust Park, replacing McCormick Field.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Yesterday evening, the Asheville Tourists went to bat with the Greenville Drive for the team’s opening home game, their first following a $38.5 million renovation of the ballpark. For guests, the evening marked the debut of the stadium’s new name, HomeTrust Park, replacing McCormick Field.

Fans came out for the ballgame in droves, but were split on the renaming.

Josiah, a Tourists fan attending the game with his eight-year-old son, Micah, felt that the name change was justified after the renovations.

“Everything’s got a company’s name on it now, so I guess that’s kind of how things are. But, you know, if that’s what it took for the renovations to happen, which I’m sure that had something to do with it, then I’m okay with it,” Josiah said.

Josiah and his son, Micah, are self-described “die-hard” Asheville Tourists fans.

The duo are big fans of the team.

“We’re diehards. We come three, four times a year, minimum,” Josiah said. “Next year, we’re talking about getting season tickets.”

Another parent-child duo, Beth Ziemba and her 93-year-old father, William Dailey, have been coming to see Tourists games for decades. The pair said that they have a lot of nostalgia for HomeTrust Park’s old name.

Beth Ziemba and her 93-year-old father, William Dailey, have been coming to see Asheville Tourists games for 25 years.

“Wish they would have kept the old name.  McCormick Field. But, times are changing, so we gotta go with the change, I guess,” Ziemba said. “We’ve been coming for 25 years, so maybe, yeah, I like the old nostalgic.”

Meanwhile, Mark Green, a Tourists fan who was handing out programs with his son, Daniel, had little nostalgia for the old name at all.

“Yeah, that’s fine. People are going to call it whatever they call it.  You know, like some people will always call it McCormick, some will call it just like they still call the Civic Center, the Civic Center. But that’s the way it is these days,” Green said.

Daniel Green, left, with his father, Mark Green. Daniel Green has handed out programs for the Asheville Tourists since April 13, 2017. His own baseball card says “it’s estimated he’s handed out nearly 100,000 programs!”

For most fans, it seemed like the name change did not bother them at all. The opening game was packed with people sporting their Midnight Navy, Blue Ridge Blue and Biltmore Jade.

In addition to their programs, many guests carried baseballs, too. According to an Asheville Tourists Baseball Club Facebook post, the first 1,500 fans to walk through the gates received a commemorative opening night baseball, courtesy of HomeTrust Bank.