73 years is a long time to wait for anything.

Ever since the Greenville Greenies, of the then minor league Coastal Plain League, played their last game inside its fences way back in 1951, Guy Smith Stadium has been devoid of prime-time baseball.

New life inhabited the almost century-old ballpark (Guy Smith Stadium will turn 100 in 2039) earlier this summer as the Greenville Yard Gnomes became the latest tenants to call Guy Smith Stadium, located at the intersection of South Memorial Drive and Moye Boulevard, home.

In becoming the 15^th and most recent team to comprise the 27-year-old Coastal Plain League, Greenville faced an uphill climb in Year One as everything was extremely loud and incredibly close early on.

The starting lineup from Opening Day to the Season Finale looked drastically different for the Yard Gnomes as players came and went throughout a torrid two month stretch that saw Greenville weather the heat and humidity, strong competition from their East Division opponents and the day-to-day occurrences that mark any great endeavor.

Through it all, the Yard Gnomes compiled a 12-34 overall record in their debut season with seven of those wins secured in front of the hometown fans at Guy Smith Stadium.

In what was a curious coincidence, Greenville bookended their 2024 summer with victories at home as the Yard Gnomes walked-off against Tri-City on May 24^th and run-ruled Catawba Valley on July 28^th. The latter might have been an exhibition victory but it nonetheless helped Greenville end their summer on a high note and with momentum for 2025 on their side.

As with any ball club, a select group of players always seem to rise above the rest over the course of a given season and that proved to be the case once again this summer for the Yard Gnomes as three players made the Coastal Plain League East All-Star roster (Howard, Herring, and Siervo) and three earned a spot on the CPL Select Team (Howard, Herring, and Kniebbe).

Jack Herring was one of two players for Greenville to make in onto the rosters for both teams. The Atlantan, Herring, not only committed to East Carolina University during the season but also made a case for a unanimous MVP selection.

Herring was the shining star for the Yard Gnomes all summer long as he finished his 2024 with a slash line of .312/.397/.510 which included team-highs in at-bats (157), hits (49), homeruns (eight), RBIs (36) and sac-flys (three).

Herring tied for sixth in the CPL in base hits, tied for third in homers and tied for fourth in RBIs as he became Greenville’s ever-present presence on league-wide leaderboards and stat columns.

Unlike many players this summer, Herring’s output never really dipped at any point from late May to late July as he constructed three separate hitting streaks of six, seven and 10, the latter and longest of which ran from July 12^th to July 27^th and helped Herring finish off his first season in Greenville on fire.

The other Yard Gnome to make his way onto both the All-Star roster and Select Team roster was Aden Howard.

What is interesting about Howard, apart from his blistering speed, is that the Texan never really got the chance to flash his full potential for Greenville in 2024 as his season debut came on June 4^th which meant he only logged 28 total games for the Yard Gnomes this summer.

Given a full complement of opportunities, Howard would have certainly challenged Herring for Top Gnome.

Howard started with a bang as he ripped off a seven-game hitting streak to start his summer and then he bested that with a 10-game streak that lasted from June 18^th to July 5^th. The capper in the middle of that lengthy run of proficient hitting for Howard was his ultimate Claim To Fame: on July 3^rd, he became the first ever player to hit a Grand Slam for the Greenville Yard Gnomes as he led the way for his team in a 15-5 win over the Peninsula Pilots. Greenville would hit two more Grand Salamis the rest of the summer (one in the regular season, one in an exhibition game).

That homer would be Howard’s lone big fly of the season but when added to his other numbers it made for an impressive final slash line: .340/.412/.462 including team-bests in stolen bases (25) and doubles (eight).

Now while Aden Howard was quick, Joe Siervo was not far behind.

Joe Siervo, kept pace with Herring for much of the summer as the St. Louis, Missouri native proved to be the “Gateway to the West” in the East whenever Herring would occasionally (if rarely) flag.

Siervo had a penchant for multi-hit games to start his summer even though he never showed off the knack of stringing together base hits like Herring did. Siervo opted to collect his knocks in bunches as he registered nine multi-hit games in 2024 which, when combined with Herring’s 14 such outings, made them the ultimate Batman and Robin pairing. Siervo showed off consistent plate discipline to boot as he stood atop at season’s end on Greenville’s walk list (27). Oh, and he also slugged three homers which tied for second on the team.

Speed was a team-wide “thing” for Greenville this summer and nobody showed off the wheels more often and more expertly than Joe Siervo (before Aden Howard and Gage Griggs arrived, that is).

Siervo stole 18 bases in his 38 games played and helped the Yard Gnomes finish as the sixth quickest team in the Coastal Plain League and the best of all teams not to steal 100 or more bases this summer. Greenville came within three swiped bags of joining the 100+ club as the Yard Gnomes stole 97 total bases in their inaugural season.

Gage Griggs made up the final member of Greenville’s triumvirate of speed in 2024 as the Kentuckian stole 17 bases in 27 total regular season games while also collecting six multi-hit games himself. Griggs served notice early on that he would be a speed demon in 2024 as he stole five of his eventual 17 bags in one game, a road test at Holly Springs on June 6^th that came in just his third game of the summer.

Other players who made an impact for Greenville despite getting a late start to their respective summers included Danny Ramirez, JC Vanek and Zayd Brannigan.

Ramirez, the younger brother of Greenville assistant coach Jorge Ramirez, made quite the impression in his season debut on June 23^rd as the Floridian blasted a three-run homer in his very first plate appearance. Ramirez would regress towards the mean following his big debut splash but he would go on to homer twice more before season’s end while also hitting safely in nine of 10 straight games between July 3^rd and July 18^th.

Summer ball needs personalities and JC Vanek was one of the best for the Yard Gnomes this summer as his dance moves and unorthodox batting stance set the Louisiana kid apart from just about everyone else on the Greenville roster.

Vanek is another prime example of a player who could have done more if given more time for Greenville in 2024 as he shook off a 1 for 7 start to his season with a hot stretch of hitting that saw him collect 17 base hits, seven RBIs and six stolen bases in just 12 games played. Vanek made his season debut on July 6^th and registered four multi-hit games in a three-week span.

Zayd Brannigan was crowned the unofficial Home Run Derby Champion during a post-game event held on June 21^st as he outlasted Carlos Vasquez for the title. Brannigan vowed to hit more dingers in his celebration conversation with Greenville General Manager Michael Villafana but ultimately the 21-year-old would only boast one official big fly in 22 total games and that actually came in a pre-Derby game at Wilson on June 14^th. Brannigan stole five bases and walked seven times before he played his last game on July 18^th.

Pitching was a tough area for the Jack Schaffer-led Yard Gnomes in 2024 as the team ERA settled at a final mark of 6.78 despite some noteworthy individual performances.

Matthew Jenkins, a 6’6” RHP from Live Oak, Florida, did not have a long summer in Greenville but he made the most of his six total games as he struck out 28 opposing batters between May 23rd and June 28^th. That strikeout total was a staff-best for the Yard Gnomes and Jenkins finished his abbreviated season at 1-1 with a 4.28 ERA.

Hayden Johnson, a 6’5” lefty who brought some Coastal Carolina strength to the 252, got better with every appearance as he closed his summer down with a seven-strikeout performance at home against the Wilson Tobs on July 20^th. The Myrtle Beach native ultimately went 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA which included 26 total punchouts.

Speaking of southpaws, Reece Tarini flexed his lefty finesse over the summer as he led the way for Greenville’s staff with three wins against no losses. Tarini, from Little Rock, Arkansas, rocked the Peninsula Pilots in Hampton, Virginia on July 24^th as he struck out six in six innings and got a win to wrap up his season in style.

Todd Kniebbe was the third and final member of the Yard Gnomes’ CPL Select Team trio (Herring and Howard rounded out the selections) and he showed a lot of skill on the mound in what was just a 22 day stay for the Florida Atlantic Owl in Greenville this summer.

Kniebbe went 1-1 with a 2.00 ERA while striking out 13 total. His six strikeouts in 3.1 IP to start the season proved to be his best stretch of the summer and Greenville played well when he pitched as the Yard Gnomes won six of the seven games Kniebbe appeared in. Good luck charm? Maybe.

Greenville thrilled with home game promotions this summer as “Pirate Alumni Night” and “Star Wars Night” brought with them their own special jerseys which were auctioned off post-game. Attendance peaked towards the end of the summer, too, as over 500 fans watched the Yard Gnomes top Catawba Valley 16-3 on July 28^th in an exhibition season finale.

Head Coach Jack Schaffer was a quiet and unassuming presence in the dugout for Greenville and handled both victory and defeat with class and a maturity beyond his years. Written in as “Captain Jack” on some early season lineup cards, Schaffer helmed a steady wheel during some rough seas. He is a coach destined for a long career.

With 2024 now up for review, 2025 promises a further entrenching of the Yard Gnomes as Greenville’s PLACE TO BE for summer fun. The newest team in the Coastal Plain League’s stable promises even more exciting promotions and on-field events next summer, a competitive roster and a promise to continue their connection with “Gnome Gnation” by providing a winning and community-focused rallying point during the summer months.

Here’s to what’s ahead and Go Gnomes!