The brick walls of the Flying Boxcars stadium, Meritus Park, are in the process of being built, based on their appearance on Feb. 16. Courtesy photo

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Professional baseball makes a return to nearby Hagerstown, Md. for the summer of 2024.

It’s an independent team with no Major League Baseball affiliation. Players won’t be assigned to the Flying Boxcars by any big league team. The 26-player roster will be composed of former professional players, with some of them even having Major League or Class AAA experience.

Players and fans alike will be greeted by a large stadium built near the downtown area. Towering metal poles that hold the lights appear to be much better than those seen in the lower minor leagues of professional baseball. And good lights make for better hitting and usually more fun for the close-to-the-field crowds.

The Flying Boxcars are in the 10-team Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

There will be two five-team divisions with teams spread geographically from New York to southernmost Charleston (SC) which will be the home roost of the Dirty Birds.

Hagerstown is placed in the North Division with the Lancaster Barnstormers, York Revolution, Long Island Ducks and Staten Island Ferryhawks. In the South Division are the High Point Rockers, Gastonia Honey Hunters, Charleston, Lexington Counter Clocks and Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.

The teams will play a 126-game schedule, with Hagerstown opening on April 25 at York and closing on Sept. 15 at home in Meritus Park against the same York team.

The Flying Boxcars will play their first home game on May 3 against Long Island.

There is not a player roster chosen as yet by field manager Mark Mason, team management or ownership.

The now-gone Hagerstown Suns staged their games at Municipal Stadium on Memorial Avenue, an edifice now razed, to be replaced by an indoor sports facility currently being built.

Professional baseball in Hagerstown has a lengthy history and its legacy can show it is where Hall of Famer Willie Mays played his first professional game, appearing with Trenton (NJ).

As the Suns changed affiliations with various Major League teams, players like Mike Mussina, Arthur Rhodes and Bryce Harper prepped in the minor leagues. Others like Jim Palmer, Billy Ripken, Glenn Davis, Bob Milacki, Steve Finley, Brady Anderson, Sam Horn and David Segui once appeared in Hagerstown, when on rehabilitation assignments while recovering from injuries.

The Flying Boxcars are going to offer inducements that target senior citizens, as well as youngsters and businessmen. These will include events they sponsor, such as Throwback Tuesdays, Double Dog Days (Wednesdays), Thirsty Thursdays, Fireworks Fridays, premium giveaways and events on Saturdays and Sunday Fundays.

Professional baseball will be back in Hagerstown. The quality of the new facility can be seen, as a vast legion of workers scramble to put the finishing touches on it. The quality of baseball has yet to be seen, as the roster will be formed from players already released from their once-coveted professional contracts.