THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 TAG: 9608270279
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 56 lines
A new college summer league team may slide into home on the Outer Banks.
An official with the budding Coastal Plain League confirmed Monday that preliminary negotiations are under way with Dare County Board of Education officials for the possible use of Coy Tillett Sr. Memorial Field at Manteo High School.
League President Pete Bock said a number of North Carolina cities and towns are being considered for teams.
``We're looking at Rocky Mount, Wilson, Raleigh, Durham, Wilmington, Greenville and the Outer Banks,'' Bock said from his office in Raleigh. ``We should make a decision on the teams in about 60 days.''
Bock said Gerald W. Petitt, chairman and chief executive officer of the league, was in Manteo last week for the Babe Ruth 16-18 World Series, and was impressed by what he saw.
``That, along with the interest the county officials showed in bringing summer baseball to the Outer Banks, were factors in our beginning negotiations.''
College underclassmen from throughout the country would play in the league, which was organized in May but has not yet fielded any teams.
``The players will be able to work part-time to make spending money, and then play at night,'' Bock said. ``The players will live with families in the area.''
Petitt, a former managing partner in the Choice Hotels chain, lives in Silver Spring, Md. He is the Coastal Plain League's principal owner.
Bock said it is premature to speculate on start-up costs for the new league. However, no local investors will be sought for the individual teams.
While the list of possible teams includes cities where minor league franchises are located, Bock said the league will not play in the same stadiums as the professionals.
Minor league teams are located in Durham as well as in the Raleigh suburb of Zebulon.
``There won't be a conflict,'' Bock said. ``For example, our Raleigh team would play at North Carolina State University.''
Dare County School Superintendent Leon Holleman said he expects to meet with league officials after Labor Day to discuss a lease arrangement.
``We're going to talk to them about 30 play dates,'' Holleman said. ``We'll work out the schedule with our young people as a priority. We don't want anything that will interfere with Babe Ruth baseball or other programs in the community.''
Holleman said issues such as compensation and upkeep of the field will be part of the negotiations. At the recent Babe Ruth national tournament, managers and players from visiting teams raved about the condition of the diamond.
``That's something that will have to be worked out,'' Holleman said. ``That field is in excellent shape. When they finish their season, we want the field left in the same excellent shape.''
League officials hope to begin play in the summer of 1997. by CNB