Wilmington Sharks

The Wilmington Sharks are an American baseball team in the East Division of the Coastal Plain League (CPL), a collegiate summer baseball league. The Sharks play their home games at Buck Hardee Field at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, North Carolina. Buck Hardee Field is more commonly referred to as "The Shark Tank."

The Sharks were founded in 1997 as a pioneer member of the Coastal Plain League. They have played in every CPL season except 2020, winning the Petitt Cup in 1998 and 1999.

On March 2, 2017, National Sports Service acquired the team from the Smith Family Baseball Wilmington, LLC, which had been the owners since 2014. The 2017 season was the Sharks’ 20th season in Wilmington.

The Coastal Plain League announced on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 that the Sharks were named the 2019 Coastal Plain League Organization of the Year.

On Monday, March 29, 2021, the Sharks announced Allan Lusk as the new general manager of the Sharks. Lusk brings nine years of Minor League Baseball experience to the Sharks, most recently with the Biloxi Shuckers, Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent six years with the Shuckers while playing a key role in the development and creation of the new franchise and the opening of the Shuckers’ new stadium, MGM Park. He also spent time with the Kinston Indians (former High-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians), the Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros), and the Bowling Green Hot Rods (Class A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays).

Sharky, an anthropomorphic gray shark, is the Sharks' mascot.

Recent seasons
The 2023 season, the Sharks finished with a 24-21 record and was crowned the Eastern Division Champions. The Sharks lost in the Petit Cup Championship in the final game of the series to the Lexington Blowfish. The Sharks bolstered an impressive 19-6 home record as the Shark Tank provides one of the most unique atmospheres in the league. Wilmington maintained an average attendance of 1,500 - the second highest in The Coastal Plain League that year.

In the 2022 season, the Sharks barely missed the playoffs by three games and finished in 6th place. Their average attendance rose to 1,500.

For the 2021 season, the Sharks finished with a 23-19 record. They had their first winning season since 2017. Sharks finished the season in 6th place and their average attendance was 1,200.

2020 season, the CPL had planned to return to a two-division format, placing the Sharks in the East Division. The 2020 season was originally slated to begin on May 28. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, CPL postponed its opening day to July 1. In response to the pandemic and the attendant restrictions, the Sharks opted not to play the 2020 season. (The CPL played a shortened season.) The Sharks returned to the CPL in the 2021 season, in the East Division.

2021 season
In expanding their player roster and creating a split squad, the Sharks will host 34 home games, a 30% increase in home dates compared to the 2019 season. The Sharks will also play 22 road games as part of the CPL regular season schedule. The 2021 season kicks off on Thursday, May 27 as the Sharks host the Morehead City Marlins, and concludes on Saturday, July 31 with a road game against the Florence RedWolves. The CPL playoffs begin immediately following the regular season.

Beyond Coastal Plain League games, the Sharks schedule will be sprinkled throughout with home games against teams from the Tidewater Collegiate League and the Myrtle Beach Ripken Collegiate Summer League.

Coaching staff
Russ Burroughs returns in 2024 for his fourth season as field manager for the Sharks. In 2023 the Sharks reached the Coastal Plain League playoffs for the first time since 2017 and won the CPL Eastern Division Championship. The pitching staff shined, finishing top 3 in multiple categories including ERA, runs allowed, earned runs, hits allowed, and BA against. He has led the Sharks to top six finishes in the 15-team CPL in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Sharks were just as strong on the mound in 2021 and 2022 with multiple top 3 finishes in the CPL. The 2022 season was no different for Burroughs’ pitching staff. Again, finishing in the top 3 in ERA, runs allowed, earned runs, WHIP, and BA against. During the 2021 campaign, Burroughs’s pitching staff finished top 3 in runs allowed, earned runs, hits allowed, and WHIP. Prior to joining the Sharks, Burroughs spent three seasons with the former CPL member Edenton Steamers. He served as the pitching coach in 2017 and was elevated to Head Coach in 2018 and 2019. In his five years of recruiting, 32 players under Burroughs have signed professional contracts, 4 players represented teams in the College World Series, 3 players represented in the World Baseball Classic, and 21 were named All-CPL first and second team honorees. Burroughs played four seasons of professional baseball, three with Independent teams and a year in international competition. During his time in professional baseball, Burroughs was used as a spot starter, left-handed specialist, and an emergency DH. Burroughs spends the offseason in Nashville, TN as the Head Baseball Instructor with Nashville Baseball Academy. He is in his 16th year with the Academy. He also works with Sidearm Nation, traveling around the world as a specialty instructor. Burroughs graduated from Lipscomb University in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications. He currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Austin Skipper joins the Sharks as an assistant coach, but he is no stranger to the organization. A Wilmington, NC native Skipper pitched consequently for the Sharks from 2018-2023. He played under Manager Russ Burroughs for the past three seasons. Skipper attended William Peace University where he was a 4-year starter and won All-Conference Honors in 2021. With two years of eligibility left he then attended Methodist University where he was voted team captain for the 2023 season. Skipper received his MBA in Business Administration at Methodist University all while achieving scholar athlete honors.

Rece Sabo will serve as an assistant coach for the Sharks. Rece is from Massillon, Ohio and played with the Sharks in 2021 and 2022 under Russ Burroughs. Sabo studied and played college baseball for Lake Erie College in Cleveland, Ohio. Graduated with a Bachelors in secondary 7-12 grade social studies education. Rece is currently a High School teacher and assistant baseball coach at Northwest High School.

Adam Cardin returns to the Sharks in 2024 after serving as an assistant in 2023. He has coached within the CPL for 7 Seasons. Cardin’s intro to coaching was with the GCL Pirates in Bradenton, FL after his playing career ended. Active in player development, he has seen 25 former players selected in the MLB draft and worked with former MLB All Stars. Cardin is a graduate of UNCW and currently resides in Wilmington with his family.

Uniforms
The Sharks' colors are white, navy blue, and light blue. Their standard home uniform is a white jersey and white pants with navy and light blue trim, with SHARKS printed in stylized block font across the front. Other uniforms include white pants with a light blue jersey having the Sharks logo on the left breast, and white pants with a navy blue jersey having WILMINGTON printed across the front.

They wear two caps: one mostly navy blue except for a light blue bill and the other entirely navy blue. The Sharks logo is on the front of both caps.

Alumni

 * Tom Mastny (2002); pitcher, Cleveland Indians (2006–2008)
 * Alec Bohm (2016); 3B, Philadelphia Phillies (2020-present)