For the third time in team history, the Lexington County Blowfish has earned the Coastal Plain League’s top honor.

The Blowfish were named the league’s Organization of the Year on Sept. 1. It’s the third time Lexington County has received the award, which is based on information collected from fellow team owners, general managers, umpires, players and league officials.

“This is a great honor to be voted the 2022 Coastal Plain League Organization of the Year,” Blowfish Co-Owner Bill Shanahan said in the press release. “My wife, Vicki, and I would like to thank our Assistant General Manager Matt Jinnette along with our loyal, experienced and enthusiastic game day team, who continue to serve our community, partners and fans year in and year out. Grateful to the Coastal Plain League owners, executives & League Office for recognizing the special bond between the Blowfish and its home of Lexington County, S.C.

“We are most thankful for “Team Blowfish”, which includes all our host families, players, assistant coaches and Head Coach Jonathan Johnson. We look forward to continuing to provide affordable family entertainment and positively impacting Lexington County for years to come.”

The Blowfish previously won the award in 2006 in Columbia and 2015 during their first season in Lexington. 

Among the factors used by voters to select the Organization of the Year was the team’s overall game-day operations and atmosphere, hospitality, community involvement and fan engagement.

Voters praised the Blowfish for putting into practice yearround its theme of “Consistent Commitment to our Community”. This was seen in their participation in the annual Lexington County Chili Cookoff in February at the outdoor Icehouse Amphitheater which benefits local charities and the Shamrock Parade held on Main Street in downtown Lexington each March. 

In addition, Lexington County holds also monthly community luncheons at the stadium promoting the community as well as upcoming events at the baseball stadium. The club also had a record number of host families participating in 2022, as well as postgame meals for both home and visiting teams.

At the ballpark, the Blowfish added a nightly “Laser Light Show” to go with his weekend fireworks display. The team also held its annual uniform theme that promoted Lexington County town and cities by having the names of 38 public service organizations on the back of the jerseys. 

After the season, the jerseys were auctioned off and the team raised $8,000 that went into each town’s designated charity. 

This past season also saw the return of Fort Jackson Appreciation Night with nearly 1,000 basic training soldiers invited for a night out at the ballpark. That night, they witnessed the Blowfish snap a team-record 12-game losing streak. 

Lexington County rebounded to win 10 of its last 11 games. It finished third overall in the West Division, two games shy of a playoff berth in the Petitt Cup. 

The team just named Tony Baldwin as general manager and plans shortly to hire its fifth head coach in five seasons. 

“The Blowfish featured one of their best seasons in 2022,” said Justin Sellers, COO/Commissioner of the Coastal Plain League. “They have cemented themselves as a staple in Lexington County and the surrounding areas. This is a well-deserved honor and speaks to the hard work and passion put into every day by Bill and Vicki [Shanahan], Matt [Jinnette] and their entire staff. We congratulate them on this achievement and look forward to what they have in store in the future!”