10 Things You Didn’t Know About Outer Banks Scallywags Summer Baseball

First off, did you know that summer baseball is back on the Outer Banks? (If you didn’t, you will have learned 11 new things after you read this blog instead of the 10 promised in the headline). The Outer Banks Scallywags, a rebrand from the Outer Banks Daredevils of years past, are playing four home games a week in Manteo throughout June and July. Plus there could be four more games in August, depending on the Scallywags’ playoff status. Home games are held at Manteo High School Monday through Thursday nights. 

“We are excited about being back and about all the old and new fans we’re meeting,” says Michael Dooley, the team’s general manager.

Summer baseball has been an off-and-on event since 1997. From 1997 to 2011, the Daredevils were part of the Coastal Plain League. The team was dormant in 2012, then came back from 2013 to 2019 as part of the Tidewater Summer League, playing at First Flight High School. They were dormant again from 2020 to 2022 due to the pandemic and other issues with using the Dare County fields, but this year they are back, refreshed and rebranded, playing in the Premier Collegiate League and excited to be part of the Outer Banks community. Dooley, who has been with the team since 2013, says the rebranded name is a nod to the pirate history of the Outer Banks and that it’s a name that’s easy to lean into with a lot of fun, kid-friendly activities and themes.

The games are fun, with player meet and greets, guest appearances and exciting baseball action with wooden bats, but there is more to the Scallywags than just watching baseball games. Here are 10 things you might not know about the Outer Banks Scallywags.

1. The players come from all around the country. The Scallywags players are college players who play for summer leagues in order to get additional experience and playing time. Players on this year’s team include four Outer Banks locals as well as college athletes from hometowns in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia, other areas of North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Wisconsin and Kansas. In addition to players, the team has four college interns who work on managing the team.
    
2. Local families host the players, making room in their homes and giving the players a chance to have a family-style setting for the summer. In fact, the Scallywags are in dire need of a few more host families for players who are coming in to start the season a little late due to their college’s season games.
    
3. 100 percent of the concession stand profits support Manteo High School Athletics. The Manteo High School Athletic Booster Club is running the concession stand this year and reaping all the profits. Players on the high school sports teams work the concession stand each night, serving typical ballpark food like hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, pizza, nachos and more. “Every nickel goes to boosters for the high school,” Dooley says. So get there early and enjoy dinner for a good cause.
    
4. Scallywags players volunteer in the Outer Banks community – a lot. The players recently helped out at field days at Dare County elementary and middle schools. They volunteer at libraries in Tyrrell County, Kill Devil Hills, Manteo and Hatteras to kick off the summer reading programs. They help out at the food pantries, Surfing for Autism and more. “The players do a boatload of community service,” Dooley says. “They’ve only got four days off all summer. They’re either playing baseball or doing community service.”
    
5. Local charities and nonprofits are invited to the ballpark each night to raise awareness and money. Organizations like Dare County Special Olympics, Dare Education Foundation, Interfaith Community Outreach, food pantries and more can sign up for a night at the ballpark, to set up a table or tent, pass out information and raise money with a 50/50 raffle (and keep the money). "We work hard to bring in as many of those as we can because we have space," Dooley says. There are still some open nights to fill in, so if you have an organization and want to be there, contact them.
   
   
6. The Scallywags offer programs for kids. The team offers Youth Baseball Camps in June and July, a Kids Club, a Bat Boy and Bat Girl program for ages 9 to 12 and Field of Dreams in which local youth teams get to come out on the field and have their names announced. Birthday parties are also welcome at Scallywags games.
    
7. Season passes are available. For just $75 you can see all 31 games plus any post-season games.
    
8. Volunteers are needed to work the front gate, scan tickets and staff other areas around the ballpark.
    
9. Gates open at 6. If you get there early, you can meet and greet with the players, get autographs and pictures with the players, participate in giveaways from The Lost Colony or H2OBX waterpark, and maybe catch a guest celebrity singing the National Anthem.
    
10. On some clear nights, OBX Skydive brings the game ball in from a plane via a parachute landing onto the field.

It all adds up to a ton of weekday fun in Manteo and a valuable asset to the community.

“We’re just hoping to get good support from the community,” Dooley says. “We want this to excite our locals and our tourists and give them a good reason to drive to Manteo.”

Want to go?
Outer Banks Scallywags

Coy Tillett Field, Manteo High Schoool
829 Wingina Avenue, Manteo

Gates open at 6 p.m., first pitch is at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $10 for adults, $8 for ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and younger get in free. Luxury boxes for 8 people cost $120.

To learn more about going to games, volunteering, hosting a player, kids’ camps and programs or requesting volunteer services from the Scallywags players, go to obxscallywags.com or contact Audra at scallywagsfrontoffice@gmail.com.