Cannon Ballers press release

KANNAPOLIS — Honoring their commitment to growing the game of baseball at every level in the greater Kannapolis area, the Cannon Ballers have announced their 2025 Collegiate Series schedule of games at Atrium Health Ballpark.

Five Division I games, a Division II game and the annual D3 Showcase that includes 10 Division III contests make up the schedule of games sure to entertain fans. High caliber Division I programs like Wake Forest, North Carolina State, West Virginia and High Point make the trip to Kannapolis for the first time, making it the most exciting schedule of college baseball ever in Towel City.

Kicking off the action on the field at Atrium Health Ballpark in 2025 is the annual D3 Showcase from Thursday, Feb. 20, to Sunday, Feb. 23. Returning fan-favorite teams like Berry, Susquehanna, Piedmont and Washington & Lee will square off against first-time invitees like Pfeiffer and Swarthmore in the six-team, 10-game invitational. Admission for games in the 2025 D3 Showcase is free for all fans.

West Virginia and Queens get the slate of Division I games started on Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, March 1. The Mountaineers make their first visit to Kannapolis under first-year head coach Steve Sabins, who takes over for a program with a knack for developing top MLB prospect talent. West Virginia has produced at least two MLB Draft selections each of the last four seasons, including 2024 No. 7 overall selection INF J.J. Wetherholt (St. Louis).

Queens, under the leadership of second-year head coach Jake Hendrick, has made visits to Towel City each of the last two seasons, falling in games with App State and East Carolina.

A few short weeks later, No. 13 North Carolina State will become the first team from the ACC to play at Atrium Health Ballpark when the Wolfpack take on Davidson on Tuesday, March 18. The Wolfpack, led by legendary head coach Elliott Avent, have made the NCAA College World Series twice in the last four seasons, producing top-tier talent that has translated at the next level.

Davidson, led by head coach Rucker Taylor, makes the short drive to Kannapolis after a spirited showdown against the Charlotte 49ers last spring produced a memorable evening in Towel City.

For the second season in a row, local Division II favorite Catawba College out of the South Atlantic Conference hosts another marquee game in Kannapolis, this time against Belmont Abbey from Conference Carolinas. Tuesday, March 25, marks the only game of competition at the Division II level. Last year, Catawba battled UNC Pembroke in an 11-inning contest that saw lots of offense and high-stakes pitching.

The nationally ranked No. 14 Wake Forest Demon Deacons make a visit to Kannapolis for a midweek contest against the High Point Panthers for a 7 p.m. first pitch on Tuesday, April 1. In what will be one of the wildest weeks of baseball ever at Atrium Health Ballpark, Wake Forest will make the trip down from Winston-Salem for the first time ever to Kannapolis. Led by legendary head coach Tom Walter, the Demon Deacons had three players selected in the top 10 of the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Rounding out the Division I schedule of competition for 2025 is local favorite Charlotte 49ers, led by head coach Robert Woodard, facing off against the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs out of the Big South Conference. The 49ers have played a game at Atrium Health Ballpark every spring that the stadium has been open, including the first-ever game on March 23, 2021, against Appalachian State. As for Gardner-Webb, it will be the Bulldogs’ first trip to Towel City in program history, trekking up the road from nearby Boiling Springs to battle Charlotte for the fourth year in a row.

The 2025 Collegiate Series schedule at Atrium Health Ballpark:

Thursday, Feb. 20 – Sunday, Feb. 23 – D3 Showcase

• Thursday, Feb. 20

Berry vs. Washington & Lee – 5 p.m.

• Friday, Feb. 21

Pfeiffer vs. Piedmont – 11 a.m.

Washington & Lee vs. Susquehanna – 2:30 p.m.

Berry vs. Swarthmore – 6:00 p.m.

• Saturday, Feb. 22

Piedmont vs. Susquehanna – 11 a.m.

Washington & Lee vs. Swarthmore – 2:30 p.m.

Berry vs. Pfeiffer – 6 p.m.

• Sunday, Feb. 23

Berry vs. Susquehanna – 10 a.m.

Piedmont vs. Swarthmore – 1:30 p.m.

Pfeiffer vs. Washington & Lee – 5 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 28 – West Virginia vs. Queens (6:30 p.m.)

Saturday, March 1  – West Virginia vs. Queens (2 p.m.)

Tuesday, March 18  – NC State vs. Davidson (6 p.m.)

Tuesday, March 25  – Catawba vs. Belmont Abbey (6 p.m.)

Tuesday, April 1  – Wake Forest vs. High Point (7 p.m.)

Tuesday, April 8 – Charlotte 49ers vs. Gardner-Webb (6 p.m.)

Tickets for all 2025 Collegiate Series match-ups at Atrium Health Ballpark go on sale Friday,

Jan. 24 at 10 a.m. at kcballers.com and at the F&M Bank Box Office located right outside of Gate 1 at Atrium Health Ballpark. Cannon Ballers season ticket holders will receive complimentary tickets to each collegiate event hosted at Atrium Health Ballpark this spring.

Season ticket packages and 10-game mini plans for the 2025 season are available now!

Come see your defending Carolina League South Division champion Kannapolis Cannon Ballers in their fifth season at Atrium Health Ballpark. Call the Cannon Ballers ticket office at (704) 932-3267.