Virginia lacks a major league professional franchise, although just three years ago it came close to building a new home that would have attracted the NBA’s Wizards and the NHL’s Capitals.
In 2023, a $2 billion proposal to “create a world-class entertainment district in Alexandria at Potomac Yard” was announced by then-Gov. Glenn Youngkin and team owner Ted Leonsis. It was blocked in the state Senate by powerful Democrat state Sen. Louise Lucas, who took to social media to insist that “we’re not going to let billionaires build their fortunes on the backs of taxpayer dollars.”
However, while the commonwealth doesn’t yet host a team at the highest level, it enjoys some of the country’s most successful minor league baseball teams. There are five full-season minor league baseball teams in Virginia, fewer than in states such as Florida, California, North Carolina, Texas, and New York. Two of those teams—the Carolina League Fredericksburg Nationals and the Eastern League Richmond Flying Squirrels—qualified for the 2026 playoffs.
Fredericksburg is on quite a run. The FredNats won the league championship in 2024 in their fourth season at Virginia Credit Union Stadium. The team lost in the semifinals last season, then posted the best record in franchise history this year to qualify for the playoffs. The team visits Fayetteville on Tuesday before hosting the Woodpeckers on Thursday and Friday, if necessary. The Carolina League championship round starts on Sunday.
“This year’s team has broken numerous records in its Fredericksburg era, including the most home runs, most wins, and most wins against a single opponent, with 19 vs. Delmarva,” Nationals Communications Director Luke West Poley told the Daily Signal. “It’s all the more impressive because in its league, most teams turn over their rosters every year.
“I believe only two players currently on the roster were on the 2024 team,” Poley added. “In Single-A, generally 60%-75% of the opening day roster did not play for the team the previous season, and by the end of the year, that number is closer to 80%-90%. The staff is also entirely different, as most were hired under new Washington Nationals President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni this offseason.”
Richmond will have to wait longer than Fredericksburg to find out whether it will hoist a championship banner this year. The Flying Squirrels haven’t won an Eastern League championship since the franchise moved to Richmond in 2010. The team qualified for this year’s playoffs by winning the season’s first half and has been treading water, just above 0.500, in the second half.
The Flying Squirrels have enjoyed the sort of continuity that Fredericksburg hasn’t. Manager Dennis Pelfrey is in his fifth season at the helm. He has led the team to two previous playoff appearances and holds the franchise record for the most managerial wins with the team. General Manager Anthony Oppermann has been with the team since it moved from Norwich Connecticut for the 2010 season.
The team is playing its first season in CarMax Park, which the city helped finance by selling $130 million in bonds. The Eastern League season runs through next Sunday, with Richmond scheduled to host a playoff game on Sept. 17.
