GASTONIA, N.C. – Justin Wylie hit his 47th home run with Gastonia on Sunday, taking over sole possession for the most homers in franchise history.
Wylie’s record-breaking home run came in the first inning off Charleston’s Kyle McGowin, getting the scoring started in an eventual 14-3 rout of the Dirty Birds to finish off a weekend sweep for the Ghost Peppers.
The Gastonia second baseman was a 2024 Atlantic League All-Star with the Baseball Club, hitting a season-high 34 homers. Wylie became the third player in league history to join the 30-20 club, stealing 25 bases to go along with the 34 wallops.
Wylie crushed his team-leading 13th home run of the season on Sunday in Charleston, putting him at 47 during his Gastonia career. He surpassed both Zach Jarrett and Jake Skole, who each had 46 homers with the franchise.
The Chandler, Arizona, native attended San Diego State and the University of Arizona before playing indy ball. He spent time in the Frontier League and American Association before having a banner 2024 year with Gastonia, recording career-highs in games played (120), homers (34), RBIs (84), steals (25), walks (76), runs scored (93) and total bases (232).
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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.