GASTONIA, N.C. – The Gastonia Ghost Peppers are heading to the ALPB Playoffs, clinching the South Division second half championship on Saturday night in Charleston.
Gastonia improved to 37-22 in the second half with its 10-4 win over Charleston, securing the best record in the division in the second half.
The Peppers started the season 0-5, and also had records of 9-20 and 17-30 before finishing the first half as a division-worst 28-35.
Gastonia then managed to turn its season around in mid July, sweeping Staten Island at home and taking two of three from Lexington.
The Ghost Peppers started to heat up in August, going on an eight-game winning streak and taking 12 out of 13 from July 27 – August 10.
Gastonia won its seventh consecutive contest on Saturday to wrap up the postseason berth, which is the team’s fourth straight trip to the ALPB Playoffs. The Peppers will take on the rival High Point Rockers in the South Division Championship Series in a best of five, with the winner headed to the ALPB Championship Series.
Game 1 between the Ghost Peppers and Rockers will be at CaroMont Health Park on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. Game 2 will take place on Sunday, also at home for Gastonia.
Game 3, as well as 4 and 5 if necessary, will take place at Truist Point starting on Tuesday, Sept. 23.
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Gastonia Ghost Peppers begins its second season of operations with Zawyer Sports & Entertainment – a sports ownership group with professional teams operating in the U.S. and the fifth season for the franchise at CaroMont Health Park in the FUSE District of Gastonia. The Ghost Peppers have made the ALPB Playoffs for three consecutive seasons, setting the league record for highest win percentage in a three-year span (.651 from 2022-2024.)
In their inaugural season, the Ghost Peppers had seven players with contracts purchased by other leagues, whether that be MLB-affiliated clubs or leagues outside the country. They also had two former players make their MLB debuts in 2024 — Spencer Bivens (Tigers) and Bryan Sammons (2024.) Bivens is on the Giants’ 26-man roster in 2025. J.C. Escarra, who played for Gastonia in 2023, is currently on the Yankees’ 26-man roster.
Single game tickets for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers are currently on sale. Contact the Ghost Peppers office at 980-415-2255, or visit www.ghostpeppersbaseball.com for more information.
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About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) – Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 26-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its 10 state-of-the-art ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Catch every Atlantic League game live at FLOBASEBALL.tv and follow the action at AtlanticLeague.com.