Loudoun Hounds
| Loudoun Hounds Professional Baseball Club | |
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| Founded in 2010 Ashburn, Virginia |
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| Owner(s)/Operated By: VIP Sports & Entertainment | |
| Media: Loudoun Times-Mirror; Leesburg Today; Ashburn Patch; Leesburg Patch | |
| Website: loudounhounds.com | |
The Loudoun Hounds is a planned professional American baseball team based in Dulles, Virginia. In 2014, it will be a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a circuit of roughly Triple-A caliber which is independent from Major League Baseball.
Chosen by fan voting in September 2010, the name "Hounds" reflects the foxhunting and equestrian traditions of Loudoun County. It is a fusion of many hound-related names submitted by fans, including "foxhounds" after the Virginia state dog.[1] Among other candidate names were Dulles Blue Heron and Virginia Silver Stars.
The team's name, logo, and uniforms were unveiled on September 21, 2010, with Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, who played for the Washington Senators, among several hundred attendance.[2] Currently another former member of the Washington Senators, Frank Howard, serves as the franchise's official Baseball Ambassador.[3]
The ballpark's location in heavily suburban Eastern Loudoun, combined with the team's official appellation of "Hounds," conjuring rural Western Loudoun's foxhunts, provide a unifying element between the county's highly developed and largely untouched areas.[4]
Given Loudoun County's relative proximity to the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., the Hounds will be geographic rivals for the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs.[5] Other geographic rivals will include the Pennsylvania-based York Revolution and Lancaster Barnstormers.
The Loudoun Hounds will be professional baseball's second entry in the Northern Virginia market, joining the Potomac Nationals, the Single-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals that plays in Woodbridge.
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History [edit]
VIP Baseball (now known as VIP Sports & Entertainment) worked for several years to bring a ballpark and a team to Loudoun County. In July 2009, Loudoun County politicians approved the ballpark project put forth by VIP Baseball.[6]
Initially expected to begin with the 2012 season with the new ballpark's completion, delays forced by the timeline of the team's land development partner motivated a relocation of the planned 5,500-seat facility to the One Loudoun development, announced in October 2012.
In April 2013, Loudoun County's Board of Supervisors cast a unanimous vote in favor of a rezoning application filed by One Loudoun, allowing the special events venue to be constructed at the site.[7] The facility will be immediately visible from the southwestern corner of the interchange of Virginia Route 7 and the Loudoun County Parkway.
Groundbreaking on the ballpark is expected in mid-2013, with the franchise's inaugural year anticipated for 2014, playing its home games at the BallPark at One Loudoun, also unofficially dubbed the DogYard and the BarkPark. An official name for the venue is expected to be forthcoming.
The Hounds hosted their Inaugural FanFest on Sunday, February 13, 2011, and the event was attended by approximately 9,800 fans.[8] Baseball legends such as Frank Howard, Tommy John, Boog Powell, Cecil Fielder, Bobby Richardson, among about 15 others, appeared for autographs and panel discussions at Stone Bridge High School. The team's mascot Fetch was also publicly introduced at FanFest by noted broadcast personality Johnny Holliday.
Logos and uniforms [edit]
The team colors of the Loudoun Hounds are maroon, black, khaki, and ecru. The primary logo consists of a stylized canine face with a baseball in the mouth, with the "Loudoun Hounds" wordmark centered above.
The Hounds' uniforms - manufactured by Under Armour - are traditional in design. The home cap is black with a maroon button, and the interlocking "LH" logo centered on the front in maroon, khaki, and white. The home jerseys are white with traditional black piping. The "Hounds" wordmark is centered across the front of the jersey in maroon, outlined in khaki. The numbers front and back are black outlined in maroon with the ends of the numbers shaped like dog bones. The away jersey is maroon with khaki piping and the "Loudoun" wordmark centered across the front in black, outlined in khaki and white.[9]
References [edit]
- ^ "Name choices for Loudoun County baseball". Ballpark Digest. February 15, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010.
- ^ "New Loudoun County team to announce name, logo Sept. 21". Ballpark Digest. September 13, 2010. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
- ^ "Front Office". Loudoun Hounds.
- ^ Gibson, Caitlin (September 26, 2010). "League unveils plans for baseball team and stadium in Loudoun". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "Release the Hounds". Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. October 6, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ "Loudoun supervisors OK new Atlantic League ballpark". July 21, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ Baratko, Trevor (April 3, 2013). "Hounds find a home at One Loudoun". Loudoun Times-Mirror. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
- ^ Gibson, Caitlin (February 17, 2011). "Loudoun Hounds' first FanFest is a hit for baseball lovers". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
- ^ Arezzo, Jennifer (February 14, 2011). "Hounds Fetch Huge Crowd". Ashburn, VA: Ashburn Patch. Retrieved February 15, 2011.
External links [edit]
Official websites [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Loudoun Hounds |
Official blogs [edit]
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| Atlantic League of Professional Baseball | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freedom Division | Liberty Division | |||
| Lancaster Barnstormers | Bridgeport Bluefish | |||
| Somerset Patriots | Camden Riversharks | |||
| Sugar Land Skeeters | Long Island Ducks | |||
| York Revolution | Southern Maryland Blue Crabs | |||
| Expansion: Loudoun Hounds | ||||
| Annual events: Championship Series · All-Star Game | ||||
| Other: Alumni · Final standings · Records | ||||
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