About Hickory Crawdads

Hickory Crawdads Preparing For 2018 With New Daktronics LED Display

BROOKINGS, S.D. – Feb. 1, 2018 – The Hickory Crawdads have turned to Daktronics (NASDAQ-DAKT) of Brookings, South Dakota, to design, manufacture and install a new LED video display early in 2018. The display will be installed in the outfield at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina, before the first pitch of the upcoming season.

"The Crawdads are excited to continue our existing relationship with Daktronics and work with them on our new video board," commented Mark Seaman, General Manager of the Hickory Crawdads. "We know Daktronics will deliver a first-class video board that will greatly enhance the game-day experience for Crawdad fans."

The new display will measure 15.5 feet high by 54 feet wide and will feature a 15HD pixel layout. Positioned prominently in the outfield, it features wide angle visibility to bring crisp, clear imagery to fans in every seat inside L.P. Frans Stadium.

It is capable of variable content zoning which allows it to show one large image or to be divided into multiple zones to show any combination of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.

"We're excited to build upon our existing partnership with the Hickory Crawdads," said Corey Williams, Daktronics sales representative. "The new video display will be almost three times larger than their existing video display giving the team many more opportunities to engage their loyal fans. We're looking forward to seeing the new scoreboard fired up for the first game."

Daktronics LED video and messaging display technology features industry-leading environmental protection for a long lifetime with consistent performance and low power consumption, providing value and excitement for years to come.

The Hickory Crawdads have played at L.P. Frans Stadium since their inaugural season in 1993. The stadium is named after the local Pepsi bottler who helped to finance the construction prior to the team's arrival in Hickory. They were originally affiliated with the Chicago White Sox (1993-1998), then the Pittsburgh Pirates (1999-2008), and finally the Texas Rangers (2009-present), who announced in October 2017 that they had purchased the Crawdads. Notable Crawdads alumni include: Magglio Ordonez, Jose Bautista, Carlos Lee, and Andrew McCutchen.

The team was originally owned by Don Beaver, Luther Beaver, and Charles Young. When they purchased the Gastonia Rangers, Don Beaver relocated the team to his hometown of Hickory, North Carolina. The new team name was selected in a "name the team" contest. Todd Teague submitted the winning name of Crawdads. A contest was also held to name the mascot, Conrad, and his partner, Candy. The Crawdads play in the South Atlantic League and have won three league championships (2002, 2004, and 2015) and have hosted the SAL All-Star Game three times (1994, 2001, and 2014).

For more information or to purchase tickets please call the 'Dads front office at (828) 322-3000 or visit hickorycrawdads.com.